The Captive Bird
by White-Tigers-of-Darkness
Summary: N.O.W.H.E.R.E. has captured Red Robin. While the Titans try and rescue their friend, Project Superboy starts to take an interest in the new captive. But can both boys fight N.O.W.H.E.R.E. or are they trapped forever? A DC 52 story.
1. Chapter 1

So I am still up in the air about some of the DC 52s, I have decided I love the Teen Titans#1 and I got my hands on Superboy#1 as well. Awesome stuff. I am a little sad that the epic friendship between Kon and Tim has been erased from history, but on the bright side, I am certain DC will do a good job bringing it back. And if they don't, well I will just have to write it myself (Which is what I am doing here anyway.)

Anyway, this is sort of a sequel to my one-shot 'Hunting the Red Robin' Feel free to go and check it out if you are interested in where this is coming from.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to DC, espically since I hate creating my own characters. However, if I did own anything in DC, you can bet this story would be a comic. And incidently, so would my other stories in the DC verse.

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><p>Tim supposed it had to happen eventually. It was the basic laws of escapism. The more people you surround yourself with made it easier to fight, but harder to run. And all Tim and his friends had been doing was running, running for their lives.<p>

The attack on the abandoned apartment building which had become the temporary Headquarters of the Teen Titans had started early in the morning. Red Robin, still reacting to his training under the Dark Knight, had been working on the team's next move, trying to come up with a plan to aid the escape of a young girl known as Miss Martian as the giant computer flashed in front of him. Behind him on mats on the floor, the rest of the team slept soundly. The last few months had been tough as Red Robin had travelled around the country, recruiting the young metas. First Wonder Girl, then Kid Flash had joined. Skitter and Bunker had also fallen in with the team. And there were many more out there, kids who had been saved by Red Robin and his friends, who were now acting as allies across the world. Now the name Teen Titans was starting to spread, to be whispered around whenever a teenager found themselves in trouble.

The sudden noise as the security alarm was tripped had jolted the whole team awake and distracted Red Robin from his work.

Even as the team stumbled from their beds to the computer, Tim had silenced the alarm and began pulling up the camera images, piecing together what was happening. He left his stomach knot as he recognised the uniforms of the men captured on the cameras. N.O.W.H.E.R.E. had finally found them.

No one spoke as the whole team registered what was happening. Then slowly, Cassie stepped backwards.

"Oh no." She muttered. "No, no, no!"

With a glare which could rival that of the batfamily, she turned her blue eyes on Tim.

"You promised they wouldn't find us Red!" To add to her comment, she pointed a finger accusingly at Tim.

It was a very different reaction from the one Tim had experienced when he had first rescued Cassie from the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agent many months before. But then again, Cassie hadn't experienced the hostility of N.O.W.H.E.R.E then. Now she had. Now she knew what the organisation was capable of, and what they wanted to do to her, to all of them.

"I made a mistake." Tim muttered, trying to ignore Cassie as he calculated the agent's numbers. There were a lot of them. More than Tim had ever seen before. And leading them through was none other than their leader Zaniel Templar, the very same man who had come for Tim so many months ago and started up this whole thing.

Even as Tim watched the screen, the man turned his head to look up at the camera. Although his eyes were still covered by the silver glasses, Tim felt the distinct impression that Templar knew he was being watched. The man smiled at the camera before turning and continuing into the building. Even from their hiding spot, the teens could hear the thud of heavy boots from the floors below them.

Behind Tim, Bart began to shake. The fastest boy alive was a recent escapee from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and could still remember his captivity.

"Weneedtogo! Gogogo!" he stated, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his speech speeding up as he began to panic.

Dropping the security feed, Tim began rapidly typing.

"They have all converged at the front of the building. If you go now, you should meet minimal forces by the fire escape. Wonder Girl and Bunker can fly everyone from there.

The team nodded and began to turn away, all too frightened to question Tim's order. Well, all except Cassie.

"Wait Red. What about you?" she questioned. The rest of the team stopped for their leaders answer. Tim bit back a groan. They didn't have time for this.

"This computer has all my work stored on it. All the information I have gathered on the metahumans in this country. If N.O.W.H.E.R.E. gets their hands on this, its game over for all of us. I have to destroy it." He replied, continuing to type.

"Can't you just blow it up?" Cassie asked, looking at the door nervously.

"It's a bit more complicated than that." Tim replied.

He looked over at his friend.

"Cassie, I will catch up with you. I promise." He said.

Cassie nodded.

"GO!" Tim ordered.

With one last glance, the team turned and broke into a run, heading towards the exit. Tim turned back to his work. When he had first started this project, he had incorporated a computer virus into his work. The virus was designed for one purpose. To strip the computers harddrive, destroying all information stored there.

Typing in the correct commands, Tim activated the virus, watching as the computer wiped itself. Stepping back, the Teen Wonder quickly reached for his belt, pulling out several explosives. Although Cassie had been right about blowing up the computer, Tim knew there were ways to retrieve information from the wreckage and had decided to play it safe.

Securing the devices, Tim quickly set them. If he was very lucky, N.O.W.H.E.R.E. would...

There was a crash as the door was kicked in and heavy feet ran into the room. Red Robin froze as the green lasers of the agents guns swept through the room like a swarm before settling on him. Slowly, he turned on his heels to face the agents, leaving his back to the computer.

"I believe I already told you, it is rude not to knock first." He said pointedly as he mentally began to count.

Several of the agents crowding the room moved to the side, making a clear path for their boss as Zaniel Templar stepped closer.

"It seems that once again I look at a problem and find Red Robin at the bottom of it." The man sneered, stepping closer as his agents slowly surrounded their prey. Tim stood his ground, glaring through his mask.

Behind the man, a dark haired teenager stepped forward. The teen was wearing a black and red jump suit. Tim quickly dismissed the new comer.

"Don't bluff." He growled at Templar. "You have been hunting me for the last few months."

Templar smirked, knowing he had Red Robin cornered.

"I have to admit, you have continued to impress the Organisation. Therefore the offer is still open, despite our last meeting."

Tim slowly formed his hands into fists.

"And what makes you think I have changed my mind?" He challenged. The countdown in the back of his mind was becoming critical.

"Why do you do this boy?" Templar asked. "You are not a meta and owe no allegiances to these freaks. N.O.W.H.E.R.E. can protect you, train your remarkable intelligence and help you become something great."

"And all I have to do is give up my soul." Tim shot back.

Templar shrugged.

"People have given up more." He replied. "Your answer?"

"No."

Templar smirked.

"Well, that is a shame. It is truly a pity that I forgot to mention that you don't have a choice."

Slowly, Tim turned to look at the explosives hooked up to the computer. Then he turned back to the group, well aware that his actions had caused the devices to be noticed. Slowly, Tim allowed himself to smile as the agents around Templar started to panic.

"N.O.W.H.E.R.E. A powerful, all knowing organisation. Fooling you once was a joy. Fooling you twice? It's a privilege."

Grabbing the edge of his wings, Tim raised them over his head and crouched down as his mental countdown reached zero. The explosions echoed through the room. Although this time the blast was not powerful enough to kill anyone, several agents were knocked off their feet, leaving them dazed. Even Templar was stunned, falling backwards as he faced the explosion.

Rising to his feet, Tim pulled out his bow staff and quickly got to work, taking down and disarming the agents as they slowly regained their senses. But even as he fought, he knew his chances were small. There were too many agents here, too many possible hits. They only had to be lucky once. Tim had to be lucky a million times.

Still the Red Robin fought on, lashing out at anyone who got too close, dodging the weapons. A girl with white hair and two swords ran at him. Tim knocked her back into her fellow agents, letting the confusion do its work.

But then, just as suddenly as it started, the fight stopped, the agents backing away from Red Robin. Tim tried to catch his breath as he caught sight of Templar. The man was standing next to the teen Tim had dismissed earlier, whispering something into his ear. Slowly the teen stepped towards Red Robin, raising his fist.

Tim immediately tried to block the punch but the other teenager must have had super strength. The force of the punch sent Tim flying across the room and landing in a heap on the ground. With a grunt of pain, Red Robin slowly rolled to his side as Templar's voice echoed across the room, ordering his agents to hold their position. Looking up, Red Robin saw the other teen jump, flying towards him.

Quickly, Tim rolled away, the other teen's knee missing him and imbedding itself in the stone floor. Red Robin tried to grab his bow staff but the weapon flew into the air suddenly, held by unseen hands. Flipping out of reach as the teen made another grab for him, Tim threw out several birdarangs. They had no effect, bouncing off the other teen's chest. Tim mentally cursed. Who was this guy?

The meta continued advance on Tim, forcing the young hero to dodge punches and kicks, his own attacks ineffective against the almost Superman like powers. Tim tried to regain his breath, his body aching from the attacks. However, it was this moment of weakness which the meta took advantage of. The teen lashed out, hitting Tim in the middle of the chest with enough force to send Tim flying once more, this time into a group of agents. He landed in a heap on the ground.

His whole body screaming, Tim tried to raise himself to his knees. Several hands grabbed his shoulders, forcing him back to the ground. Another pair of hands grabbed his wrists and forced them behind his back while even more grabbed his legs, pinning him in place. Tim tried to wriggle out of the grips, to escape the agents holding him down even as he heard footsteps draw closer. Finally managing to look past the agents, Tim tried not to shout as Templar drew closer, a syringe in his hand. The teenage meta was following him, almost like a dog following its owner.

Tim continued to try and fight as Templar knelt down beside him and grabbed his hair, pulling his head up. The needle was jammed into Tim's neck, the plunger forcing the serum into the young hero's body.

Pulling the needle free, Templar let go of his victim's hair. The young heroes head dropped to the floor. Slowly, the agents released the teenager.

Tim's whole body felt like lead, his arms unresponsive even as the agents released him. His head was swimming and he was no longer able to process his surroundings. It was becoming a fight to remain awake. In front of him, Templar turned and shouted orders at his agents. A pair of hands grabbed Tim and lifted him off the ground. The teen Wonder tried to look around even as everything started to go black. Finally, the young hero stopped fighting and let himself drift off to sleep.

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><p>Sitting in the shadows opposite the abandoned building, Kid Flash and Wonder Girl watched silently, hoping to catch a glimpse of their friend. Skitter and Bunker had already moved on, going to the next safe house to make sure it was still secure. Red Robin had drilled these procedures into them all a hundred times in case N.O.W.H.E.R.E. ever did find them. But Cassie wasn't willing to follow orders and leave until she was sure Red Robin was safe, so Bart had volunteered to stay with her.<p>

The explosion in their former base had surprised them, and although Bart had pointed out that it was probably the computer, the two were still frantically watching for Red Robin, praying that he had escaped even as they kept a watchful eye out for any agents who could stumble too close to their hiding spot.

Across from their hiding spot, a door opened up on the roof. Two agents walked out and placed something on the ground before backing away. Silently, the two teenage heroes watched as the device flashed. There was silence for a few more minutes before both teenagers noticed a noise.

"Helicopter?" Bart whispered to Cassie. The former thief nodded, still watching.

The sound grew louder and louder until both teenagers could see the helicopter, the air shifted around them, forced downwards by the blades of the aircraft as it flew over them and hovered over the building. Softly, it landed.

More agents poured out of the door and onto the roof, several climbing into the helicopter. One man, dressed differently from the rest, stepped out of the door and walked over to the chopper, a teenager dressed in a strange jumpsuit following him. The two stood by the helicopter as an agent stepped forward. The agent had something dark resting on his shoulder, a body. It didn't take a detective to recognise the body.

In seconds Cassie had risen to her feet, shouting out to her friend. Using his speed, Bart grabbed her and pushed her back into the shadows, holding his hand across her mouth as her shout was lost over the noise of the helicopter. Peeking out of their hiding place, Bart held his breath, hoping that no one had seen them. Most of the agents were transfixed, watching as the agent carried Red Robin over to the helicopter and placed him inside. However, the strange teen was looking around. For a moment, Bart was sure the teens blue eyes met his own, before the boy looked away, scanning his surroundings. The man beside him said something, drawing the teen's attention away. Then, with a quick nod, the boy turned away, throwing himself off the roof. He hovered for a moment before shooting into the sky and disappearing into the clouds. Bart felt his eyebrows rise in surprise, but the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agents seemed to ignore it, instead slowly making their way off the roof as the strange man climbed into the helicopter. The blades spun faster, pulling the great machine into the air. The helicopter rose, climbing out of view and taking Red Robin with it.

Scratching and kicking, Cassie fought her way out of Barts hold and climbed to her feet.

"I'm going after it." She shouted.

Bart grabbed her hand, preventing her from flying away.

"You can't. That kid is out there."

"I can take him!" Cassie shouted back, almost lifting Bart off the ground in an attempt to make the speedster let go.

"No you can't!" Bart shouted back, tightening his grip on Cassie. "Whoever that guy is, he is clearly working for them. We can't let them find us or else all of Red Robin's work to protect us is wasted."

Cassie seemed to deflate slightly. Bart let out a sigh of relief as she lowered herself back onto the ground.

"Then what do we do?" She asked. For the first time since meeting her, Bart noticed how scared she sounded.

"I don't know." Was all he could say.

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><p>Ok, I have no idea of the personalities of Skitter and Bunkers (Who are real characters. I didn't make them up!) they will only be mentioned until I can get more informantion on them. All I know is their names and a small idea of what they look like. I got from the cover of TT#1 that Bunker can fly.<p>

And no, I didn't steal any quotes from Doctor Who. Why do you ask? (Looks shifty)

Anyway, anyone interested in another chapter? Or am I just doing this for myself (The answer is yes, I am doing it for myself. But thats beside the point.)


	2. Chapter 2

To quote Robin from Young Justice, I am totally Whelmed at how interested people are in this story. I admit, I wasn't expecting much. The Teen Titan comic section seemed to be fairly quiet compared to the other DC sections. So a huge thankyou to everyone who reviewed and took an interest. I hope this next chapter is up to standard.

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><p>Tim awoke with a start, jumping to his feet and gasping heavily as he looked wildly at his surroundings. He was in a small white room. The floor was white, the walls were white, the ceiling was white, even the sheets and frame of the bed which he had been dumped carelessly on was white. Even Tim's clothes were white, his costume gone while he was asleep. In fact, the only bit of colour in the room was coming from the large mirror affixed to one of the walls. Tim stared at it. The reflection showed a skinny teenager, dressed in oversized white shirt and pants, with sweaty black hair and wild blue eyes staring back at him. His wild blue eyes!<p>

Tim reached up for his mask, already knowing that it wasn't on his face. Someone had removed his mask as well as his costume. His true identity, exposed to the world.

There was something rubbing on his left arm. Tim looked down. A piece of cotton was taped to his wrist, just above a vein. A strip of plastic was wrapped around his wrist and rubbed against the cotton as the teen wonder moved. Reaching down, Tim pulled the tape off, watching as the cotton fell off with it. He examined the cotton. There was a spot of blood on it, matching the puncture wound on his arm. Someone had taken a blood sample. Tim wasn't an idiot. He knew what could happen if someone had access to his blood. Epically highly payed scientists working for an organisation interested in controlling him.

Looking back at his wrist, Tim examined the plastic, trying to take his mind off the blood test. The plastic was a standard hospital band, a barcode printed across it, as well as Tim's alias, Red Robin and a date. The date of Tim's capture.

Slowly, Tim sat back down on the bed, the metal frame groaning under his sudden weight and the rough white sheets shifting under him as he lifted his bare feet off the floor. Tucking them under himself, the teenager looked around at his cell, his detective mind working as he analysed his surroundings. There was a white door next to the mirror, almost hidden by its colour. Not moving from his position, Tim looked at the lock. It was basic, but still impossible to pick without the young hero's arsenal of tools. Once again Tim turned to look at the mirror. From its reflection, Tim could see the security camera on the ceiling. The red light flashed as the device recorded the teenagers every movement.

With a small sigh, Tim rested his head against the white wall, trying to look anywhere but the mirror in front of him. Despite the clear presence of the security camera, Tim was still aware of the eyes on him, watching him. It was an unnerving feeling, one which Tim couldn't help but think he would have to get use to.

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><p>"So, he's finally awake, is he?"<p>

The question came from Rose Wilson, the young mercenary walking through the door and strolling down the corridor towards Templar as the man continued to stare through the glass at N.O.W.H.E.R.E.s latest catch. Red Robin was sitting on the uncomfortable bed, looking at the ceiling, seemingly unaware of his surroundings.

"Huh!" Rose muttered as she stepped closer, standing beside her boss as she looked through the glass. "Don't they normally shout and carry on when we put them in there?" she asked.

Again Templar didn't comment, instead moving slightly, trying to block Rose out. Rose rolled her eyes.

"He's good. Too good. You will need someone to watch him unless you want him to escape and embarrass you again." As she said this, she casually rubbed her chest. Despite the Kevlar vest she habitually wore under her uniform, the kick Red Robin had delivered back in the Titans HQ had hurt badly.

Although she would never say it out loud, she couldn't help but admire such a skilled fighter. Red Robins style of fighting was the sort of fighting her father would love to test. As it was, his fighting abilities had put Rose to shame. She was the handler of Superboy, the greatest weapon ever created. She was one of the best fighters in the world and the only person N.O.W.H.E.R.E. believed could take down the Superman clone, should he betray the organisation.

And secretly, Rose hoped that one day she would get to test her skills against the hero again and this time, give him the ass kicking he deserved.

With a sigh, Rose crossed her arms and stared through the glass, playing the silent game in the hope that Templar would finally start to talk.

Behind both of them, a door slid open. Dr Caitlin Fairchild, Rose's best friend and head scientist in charge of the Superboy weapon stepped through. She had several folders in her hands. Templar turned towards her.

"Fairchild." He nodded. "Do you have the information?"

The red head looked nervous.

"Well, yes sir….but you are not going to like it."

Templar looked over his glasses at her, holding his hand out expectantly. With great reluctance, Red handed the files over, watching as Templar opened the first one. The man was silent, reading quickly before opening the next file. Then he opened the next. His face slowly turned red.

Tucking the files under his arm, the man glared once more through the glass as if thinking of killed the room's occupant before turning on his heels and stalking towards the door, pushing past Caitlin. Rose raised an eyebrow at Caitlin. The redhead looked at the floor.

Realising she was about to let Templar escape without answering her question, the female mercenary shouted at her boss.

"What about him?" she asked, nodding towards the glass.

Templar didn't even look at her.

"Send the weapon to do it."

The door slid shut behind him, blocking him from the two women's view. Slowly, Rose turned to look at her friend.'

"Red, what was that about?"

Caitlin sighed and looked over at her friend.

"It seems that Red Robin has once again managed to beat us." The scientist replied, turning away.

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><p>He was sitting in the classroom again, watching as the teacher wrote a complicated equation on the blackboard. Beside him, Rose was writing on a piece of paper, seemingly bored from the lesson. He was not surprised. Virtual Reality was boring, even for the programs.<p>

He always knew when he was in VR. It was the only time he ever got bored. Boredom was such an unusual thing. It was something which the Superboy was still not sure how to handle. Besides him, Rose finished writing and passed a note to him. Quickly, Superboy looked down, reading the note before hiding it in his desk.

'_Bored?_' it read.

Knowing Rose was watching him, Superboy nodded. Somewhere in the real world, the scientists broke their habitual silence, talking just below the weapons hearing. The Red haired woman had entered the room. Superboy always knew when she was there.

Ignoring both Rose and the teacher, Superboy looked around, wondering what new thing the woman had added to his virtual prison. Scanning the class, Superboy finally noticed what was new.

At the back of the class, sitting by the corner desk was a dark haired boy. The boy was writing in a notebook, seemingly absorbed in the lesson. Even as Superboy watched, the boy looked up at the teacher before slowly turning to look at the weapon. Blue eyes looked him up and down, seemingly studying Superboy for a minute. He smiled slightly before turning back to his work. Superboy blinked. That had never happened before.

Somewhere in the real world, the red haired woman started to talk.

"_Who is he?" she asked, just within the clones hearing._

"_Who is who?" One of the other scientists asked. _

Superboy continued to watch the boy as the boy kept working, seemingly ignoring the weapon.

"_That boy?" Red asked out in the real world._

"_Don't know. We thought you added him." Was the reply._

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. Besides Superboy, Rose climbed to her feet, complaining loudly even as the teacher disappeared out of the room. She started talking to Superboy but the weapon ignored her, instead standing up and walking towards the boy who was still writing in his notebook, copying down complex sums which Superboy didn't think he could ever understand.

"_He's not mine. I don't know how he got there."_

He paused in front of the boy, watching as the teen put his pencil down before looking up at him.

"Hello." Superboy said. "Who are you?"

The boy smiled.

"I don't know." He replied, his blue eyes meeting those of the weapon. "Who are you?"

"_Cut the program. I have a job for Superboy." Red said._

Superboy returned the smile and held out his hand. "I don't know either."

The boy accepted the offered hand, allowing the weapon to shake.

Reality started to dissolve around the weapon, erasing the programs which made it so real. Keeping a grip on the teen's hand, Superboy closed his eyes and allowed everything to disappear.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. Several scientists were watching him. The weapon looked down. His hand was raised, as if greeting a friend who didn't exist. The red headed woman was standing in front of him, staring up at him. The real Rose was behind her, watching with distaste even as the scientists moved around her, running their tests.

The whole scene reminded Superboy of only a few days before, when he had been pulled out of VR to help collect the 'Red Robin'.

"You have a new job." The red head said.

Stepping down from the platform, the clone obediently followed the scientist out of the room and to his new assignment.


	3. Chapter 3

So, finally got Teen Titans #2. Very nice so far (Even if they are trying to make Kon evil.) However, to keep everything accurate, I have got through the first chapter and edited names slightly. (I mis-identified a few characters) Hopefully the changes are not too much. However, I am planning to skip the weird Cassie/Tim romance they seem to be pushing (It just doesn't work for me.)

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><p>The safe house was deadly silent as Wonder Girl and Kid Flash made their way inside. Neither hero was willing to talk, the horror of their situation leaving them mute.<p>

They had lost a friend but not just any friend. They had lost their leader. Red Robin was gone. The teenage human who had saved their meta asses when others had simply looked then other way was now a captive in their places. The realisation, the horrible crushing guilt was more than either teen could bare.

As the two teens stepped into the dusty room which was now their home, they glanced around. The other members of the team were occupied with their own things, seemingly not noticing the arrival of their friends. Bunker had his back to the door, playing with a small tv and casting a gloomy light through the dark room. Skitter was watching him from the safety of her web, seemingly contemplating eating him and on the opposite side of the room, Solstice sat. She had been on a mission for Red when the attack had begun. Clearly the girl had managed, through dumb luck, to meet up with the others before she managed to stumble into the abandoned remains of the team's last hideout. The girl appeared to be lost in her thoughts. All three slowly turned to look at the two new arrivals. Bart closed his eyes and waited.

They may all be freaks, hunted by an evil organisation but every member of the Teen Titans could count. Even the human insectnoid known as Skitter (Although Red Robin still called her Celine, just like he kept calling Bart and Cassie by their real names. This, come to think of it, was kind of annoying when he refused to give them his real name.) could see that someone was missing.

Bunker stepped forward, searching his two friend's faces. Finally he asked the question that was on everyone's minds.

"Red Robin?" He asked, looking terrified.

Wonder Girl, the strongest person on the team, gave a quiet sob and covered her face with her hands. Kid Flash just shook his head, fighting back the tears he knew were coming.

"N.O.W.H.E.R.E." the speedster replied, trying not to choke.

From the corner, Solstice gasped.

"No." She muttered, shaking her head in denial. Her whole body started to shake, blue lights dancing up and down her arms as her eyes turned an eerie blue. She had been a prisoner of N.O.W.H.E.R.E. longer than any of the other Titans. She knew better than anyone, what Red Robin's capture meant.

Taking a deep breath and wishing he didn't have to be the one to do this, Bart tried to project a feeling of confidence to the group, the same as Red somehow always managed to do.

"It's ok." He said, giving Solstice a weak smile and hoping that none of the Titans heard the hesitation in his voice. He was not built to lead. "We will rescue him, the same way he rescued us."

Beside him, Wonder Girl was still shaking. Stepping past the speedster, Bunker wrapped his arms around her, steering her away to a quiet corner of the room to gather her thoughts. Above him, Skitter climbed back into her web, turning her back to the other teenagers. Solstice stepped away, her arms wrapped around herself as if trying to protect herself from the cold. Kid Flash let the other teens leave, glad for the moment of privacy as he slipped back into his persona of Bart Allen. Looking up at the ceiling, he let his mind work its speedster magic as he started to plan.

"I don't know how." He muttered to himself, pretending he was talking to Red Robin. "But we will rescue you. I promise."

* * *

><p>Once again, Tim found himself looking at his surroundings. This second room was different from the first. Here, everything was silver instead of the white the teenager was slowly becoming use to.<p>

The young hero was seated in front of a metal table, his hands cuffed in front of him. It had been a weird two days. At least, Tim thought it was two days. In truth, he had no idea how long he had been in the white cell. Meals were erratic and with no lights in the room, Tim quickly lost sense of time. He slept when he was tired. He explored the white cell and the small bathroom attached to it. He counted pi aloud to the hundred and twenty seventh digit and swore he heard someone counting along with him. He practiced his French, German, Japanese and Mandarin. He did anything he could think of to keep his mind active. And when all else failed, he thought about his family.

Although he had been on the run, Tim had attempted to keep an eye on the batfamily. He had sent several letters to Dick (All untraceable of course. He didn't want Nightwing jumping into the fight against N.O.W.H.E.R.E.), He had kept up to date with the movements of Batman and Robin and marvelled at how neither hero had managed to kill the other yet (Tim secretly credited Alfred, Dick and Barbara for that one.) He had even seen Jason in passing one afternoon. The second oldest Batbrat was now working with Roy and Kori, two of Dick's old friends, and was even managing not to kill too many people (Had Tim had more time to think about it, he would have been proud of his older brother for that one.)

It was these little things which kept Tim fighting, but they also had to be kept a secret. If N.O.W.H.E.R.E and Templar managed to uncover Tim's real name, or Dicks, or Jason's or even Damian's, it could lead them to Bruce and even to the secret identities of many of the world's best known heroes. Tim didn't even want to think of what an anti-meta organisation would do with the secret identity of the Man of Steel or the Dark Knight or any of the others.

For the protection of all those heroes, Tim knew he would have to keep numb and hope that none of the scientists would be able to get anything from their tests.

* * *

><p>Superboy watched the prisoner. It was his job. Sometimes he sat in the lab and watched the security feeds monitoring the teen 247 but mostly, he stood at the cell door, looking through the glass wall, close enough that, if he really wanted too, he could reach through the bullet-proof, one sided mirror and touch the teen. He had no idea why he watched the boy, or even who the boy was. He remembered facing the prisoner in the abandoned building, remembered the unfair advantage the organisation had as the human teen fought against numerous highly trained agents. Remembered how the teen had fought on, even though he couldn't possibly hope to win. He remembered all this, done by a skinny young human, with dark hair and red clothes and the Boy of Steel was fascinated.

The boy was interesting. A powerless human, fighting in a way (As Superboy understood it) that only meta's could. A human who, from what Superboy guessed from listening into the conversations of the scientists around him while in VR, had no name. A human who had, until recently, the very thing Superboy craved more than anything else. Freedom.

A human who was so similar and yet so very different from N.O.W.H.E.R.E.s secret weapon.

The clone didn't eat or sleep. He simply watched and tried to understand. Never before had anything captured his attention for so long. Not even the dark haired boy in VR, who appeared so suddenly and looked so similar had captured his attention in such a way.

He watched the boy explore the rooms, he spoke along when the boy started to recite pi (Another of those annoying things Superboy just knew, without even bothering to learn.) He listened as the teen switched languages (Again, he knew them, although the boy never gave away any personal information, not that Superboy would tell anyone if he did.) He was silent when the boy was silent, he watched as the boy slept.

He watched several of the agents entered the room, screaming and waving weapons at the teen until the dark haired boy followed their orders, allowing himself to be cuffed and dragged from the room.

He ghosted the group as the teen was walked through the confines of the building to the interrogation rooms. He watched from the spy hole as the boy was locked in a new room.

He didn't take is eyes off the prisoner, even when the man appeared.

The red haired scientist called him Templar. The man himself had told Superboy to call him Master. Superboy just called him the man.

The man was just a man. Superboy could crush him if he ever wanted to. That didn't stop him from following orders when the man had called him into the room with the prisoner. After all, maybe he would get a closer look at the boy.

* * *

><p>Tim looked up at the door swung open, Templar looking down at him from his opposing height. The man looked angry, the sort of controlled anger Tim was use to seeing on Batman's face when the Dark Knight had to do a job which hit too close to home.<p>

"Red Robin." The man greeted in a menacing tone as he stepped through the door. He was carrying a pile of folders which he slammed down on the table. Tim tried not to flinch at the sound.

Behind the man, a shadow moved. Trying to take his mind off the threat in front of him, Tim quickly looked at it. The meta from Tim's capture was standing guard by the door, his blue eyes fixed on Tim. For the first time, Red Robin got a good look at his attacker.

It must have been some sort of sick joke. The meta was dressed in a red and black suit. It was not an unusual look but what stood out, was the red 'S' shield on the teenage meta's chest. Superman's logo, attached to this strange, undeniably dangerous teenager.

In front of him, Templar sat down, drawing Tim's attention back to him. The man opened up a file and threw it in front of Tim.

"Alvin Draper." He stated. He didn't wait for Tim to reply, instead opening another file and throwing it down on the first. "Todd Richards."

Another file was picked up and thrown.

"Jack Malone."

"Gary Glanz."

"Caroline Hill."

Templar slammed both his hands down on the table.

"Who are you?" He growled, his glasses flashing dangerously in the dim light. Tim looked down at the files once again before smiling slightly, finally realising what had happened. Well done Bruce!

"Looking at all that, I would say you have already found out who I am."

Templar raised a hand threateningly at Tim before pausing. The young detective watched as the older man turned his back to him, clearly trying to gather his thoughts.

"Once again, the famous Red Robin has played me." The man muttered. He turned back to his prisoner.

"My scientists are the top scientists in the world in the field of DNA analysis and yet, half of them are currently prepared to bet their lives to tell me that you are Bruce Wayne of all people!"

Templar sat down again, staring at Tim.

"I suppose you think this is funny." He hissed in a low voice. "My more 'competent' scientists analysed your costume. We know where all those weapons came from and how much they would cost. You are a smart boy, but you are still a boy. Someone must be funding you."

He paused, grinning slightly.

"We will find them. Your family, your meta 'friends', your benefactor. We will find them. And then, after we are done with them, you will wish you had joined us when we first offered."

Tim felt the blood leave his face even as Templar sat back. Without another word, the man rose to his feet and walked to the door, ignoring the meta standing guard. The door swung open, allowing Templar to exit before it slammed shut again, locking the two teenagers inside.

* * *

><p>So that was the chapter. Now for the bad news. Due to real life and work related issues, I will be unable to post another chapter for a few weeks. How long? I am not sure. But please don't give up on me. I am trying my best.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

So...yeah. I was suppose to be going overseas for work and not have internet access. Instead, I got injured and suddenly I have a week on my own as all my work friends have left to go overseas without me. It's kind of depressing. So, to cheer myself up, I wrote this little chapter. It's (In my mind at least) happier then the earlier chapters (Mind you, the ending...)

But it did cheer me up. That and the fact that I will be flying out to join the rest of my work buddies next week.

Oh...Quick warning. Spoliers for parts of Superboy#1. Seriously, at least one bit is word for word.

* * *

><p>"I think I have finally figured it out." The boy said, sitting back in his chair and grinning at Superboy.<p>

The clone blinked, shifting uncomfortably on his own chair. The class was quiet, the rest of the student having already left for home. All except Rose, who was quietly collecting her books and placing them in her bag.

"What have you figured out?" The teenage meta asked, resting his crossed arms on the back of the chair as he stared at the other boy. It hadn't escaped his notice that the boy had changed physically in the few days since Superboy had last been in VR. His eyes were a brighter shade of blue, his hair a darker shade of brown. His face was rounder then it had been, his body no longer stick skinny but the sort of skinny which harboured iron hard muscles. In fact, the boy no longer looked like the prisoner, he was the prisoner. A spitting image of the silent teen Superboy had been locked in an interrogation room with for twenty minutes before the agents had finally gotten their act together and dragged the imprisoned hero back to his cell and the weapon back to VR.

The boy smiled.

"I think I have figured out what I am."

Superboy blinked.

"Oh, and what are you?" he asked, trying not to smile in amusement.

"I'm you." The boy shrugged. "Your subconscious, put in a program form that would interest you."

Superboy laughed.

"OK, one, why do you think that form would interest me? And two; you know you are a program?"

The boy rolled his eyes.

"One. As I said before, I'm you. Of course I know I am a program, the same way you know you are in VR. And two, you have been watching the prisoner for over two days. Of course he interests you. Probably more than anything else ever has."

"Damn." Superboy muttered. "Busted!"

"Well, look on the bright side. Your weird obsession means you have finally figured out a name for me. I'm sick of being 'the boy' in your mind."

Superboy rolled his eyes.

"Shut up Robin." He muttered.

Robin grinned, his arms crossed over his chest as his uniform shirt shifted, the white shirt pressing against the teens red undershirt.

"Finally." He muttered. "So what about you?"

"What about me?" Superboy asked, eyeing Robin closely. The teen may be a program based on Superboy's subconscious, but he was still creepy.

"What name have you picked for yourself?"

"I wasn't aware I was supposed to be looking for a name." Superboy replied.

Robin sat up in his chair, leaning forward and resting his chin on his hand.

"You've already found one. It's something easy. Something starting with…I don't know. C?"

Superboy shrugged. Robin was a part of his subconscious. If he wanted to give the weapon a name, the program was more than welcome to.

"You're just a part of me. You pick something and it will inevitably be what I picked for myself."

Robin smiled.

"Ok….How about Chris?" the dark haired teen asked, looking at his friend. He shook his head. "Nope. Cameron? Clark?"

Robin laughed at himself. He pulled a red pen out of his pocket and wrote something in his notebook.

"I know the perfect name for you." He said, ripping the paper out of the book and passing it to the clone. Superboy looked at it, grinned and slipped the paper into his pocket.

"I can live with that."

* * *

><p>The scientists fell silent, all pausing their work to watch the two teens interact onscreen. Finally, Dr Fairchild spoke.<p>

"Did he just….name himself?" The red haired scientist asked aloud.

There was a string of quiet murmurs and nodding heads as the rest of the scientists confirmed that, yes, in their opinion that was exactly what had happened.

"Should we terminate the program?" One of the younger scientists asked.

Still staring at the screen, Fairchild shook her head.

"No. Let's see what he does now."

* * *

><p>Superboy was walking Rose home. It was something which happened every time the scientists ran this program, more a habit then a chore now. However, for the first time ever, the pair had become a trio. Robin was walking on Superboy's other side, silently studying his surroundings as Rose talked. Like every time the scenario was run, the conversation turned to the weapons selective memory.<p>

"I have cognitive amnesia. I remember how to eat and talk and factual memories. But who I am and where I lived? Nada." Superboy replied to Roses question, ignoring the feel of heat and smell of smoke that was so familiar in this part of the situation.

"That has got to suck." Rose replied, her standard answer when the meta brought up the lie.

Superboy smiled.

"It's kind of liberating, actually. A lot of people live in their past. I'm free to concentrate on all the beautiful things going on right…." He paused, looking back at Robin, who had paused behind them looking up at the burning house. "In front of me." The clone finished.

Robin tore his eyes away from the building.

"Did you realise that house was on fire?" he asked as screams for help began to drift from the building. Superboy shrugged.

"It's always like that." He replied, remembering the many times he and Rose had passed it on his way home. Robin raised an eyebrow at him. Then he turned and walked to the white gate, resting both his hands on it. Suddenly, the program threw himself forward, flipping himself over the fence in a move mimicking one of the fighting stances the prisoner had performed during his doomed fight in the old building. Landing softly, the teen sprung forward, running towards the danger.

"Robin!" Superboy shouted after the teen as the program disappeared into the burning house. Without thinking, the clone kicked down the fence and ran after his friend, ignoring Roses shouts as he crashed through a window and into the burning living room.

Landing in a heap Superboy looked up and quickly studied his surroundings. Everything was black, turning to ash in front of him. The screams were still present, coming from upstairs. Rolling to his feet, Superboy quickly made his way through the rooms, looking for any signs of Robin through the thick smoke. Finally, he heard footsteps from above. Running into the hallway, he spotted a staircase. On the top, black shadows moved. Superboy watched from his place at the bottom as a dog raced down the burning stairs, followed by a middle aged woman. Finally, Robin appeared, making his way carefully down to the ground, a little girl holding onto his shirt as the teenager carried her. He had a hand protectively against her head, stopping her from looking around as she whimpered into his shirt.

The program spotted Superboy.

"We need to get out of here!" He shouted, his dark hair now glued to his face with sweat. The roar of the fires was almost deafening, the heat intense.

Superboy nodded, trying to let Robin know he had heard him before turning and starting to lead the group out of the house. The door was still open from Robin's dramatic entrance. Through the darkness, the clone could see light.

The dog whimpered suddenly, changing direction and heading back into the depths of the house. The woman shouted at it, trying to grab it as it slipped past. Superboy swore. Turning back, he ran to Robin's side.

"Get them out of here." He shouted, pointing towards safwety. Robin nodded and pushed past, taking the two victims with him as he exited the rapidly deteriorating house.

Running into the burning kitchen, Superboy immediately spotted the dog. The terrified creature had tried to hide under a table, believing it to be the safest place. Growling, Superboy dropped to his knees and reached under, grabbing the dog by its collar and pulling it out. The animal wiggled out of his grip and fell to the floor, running past him and back out into the hall. With his amazing vision, Superboy saw the creature run out of the house and back to its owner. Rising to his feet, the clone started to follow the dog.

Around him, the walls groaned, the fires starting to eat through them. Superboy broke into a run.

Suddenly, the structure gave out, several layers of wood and plaster collapsing in front of the weapon. Superboy stopped. He could see through the door and outside. Robin had put the little girl down and was already running back to the house. Beside the clone, the wall gave another groan. Looking up, Superboy watched as the ceiling started to cave in, burning pieces falling down on top of him and knocking him to the ground.

Everything started to go black as the building finally gave way on top of the young meta.

The last thing Superboy heard as the program started to deteriorate was Robin, shouting out his name.

"CONNER!"

* * *

><p>Yay! It's Conner. I didn't realise how much I liked having him back. Oh, and just so everyone knows. Robin is not Tim. He is Tim's face over Conner's 'Rogue' thoughts. I think I explained that in the story, but you never know and I really don't want people being confused. After all, from what we see of the reboot Kon, he wouldn't run into a burning house. But pre-reboot Kon would do it anytime, as long as he had his buddies by his side.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

So yeah, I think I need to increase the rating of this fic. This gets a little dark.

* * *

><p>Dr Caitlin Fairchild walked quickly down the hallway, glancing over his shoulder, the files tucked under her arm. It had been like this for the last two weeks, the suspicious looks, the whispers in the dark.<p>

Her whole team was tense, trying to work out what had happened that day in the VR. Never before, had the Superboy acted like that. Never before had he acted like a hero instead of the sociopath they had all started to suspect he would become. Never before had Caitlin been forced to swear her whole team to silence.

She knew, better than anyone that under no account could Templar know about this. If the head agent found out about the weapons action, he would start to ask questions. Questions which would lead him to the VR experiments and ultimately, to the strange freewill which Superboy was exhibiting.

The sudden realisation that Superboy had known all along that he was in VR was enough of a shock. She didn't even want to start thinking of what it meant when the clone had made his own program, or how he had used the program to name himself, or even how he had seemed to place dormant parts of his personality into the Robin program.

And hadn't that been a surprise? Caitlin spent a whole day going through the recordings taken from the VR, matching it to the live feed from the holding cell of the captured hero, code name Red Robin, and matching that footage to the footage taken from the teenagers capture at Superboy's hands. There was absolutely no doubt, the Robin program was clearly based off Templars latest acquisition.

Superboy's obsession with the boy had become more and more noticeable as the days went on. Caitlin no longer tried to put Superboy in VR, fearing what else she could see in there. Instead, the weapon had been forgotten, left to his guard duty almost 24 hours a day. Not once, had Caitlin seen the clone sleep or eat. Instead, he just stood at the cell window or in the corner of the interrogation room, watching everything with dark eyes. Surprisingly, Templar had approved of the clones actions.

A sob reached the corner of Caitlin's hearing. She froze, suddenly realising where she was. In her absentminded wandering, she had made her way down to the meta holding cells. Unlike Red Robin's, these were tiny, designed not to hold people of interest like Red Robin, but to hold people who N.O.W.H.E.R.E. considered dangerous. People who could never, under any circumstances be released.

Caitlin couldn't stop the shiver of fear as she turned, ignoring the cries from the cells as she retreated from the room. She could remember the day N.O.W.H.E.R.E. had come for her, the agents offering her two choices. Work for the organisation and keep her freedom, or fight against them and be imprisoned here forever. Caitlin had felt her courage desert her in that very moment and had chosen to follow N.O.W.H.E.R.E., an action she was not proud of.

Almost running to the end of the hallway, Caitlin crashed into the door in her desperation to get out. To get away from the reality of her situation.

* * *

><p>A fist crashed into the desk, leaving a dent in the cheap metal as Wonder Girl pulled away, flexing her hand to numb the sting. It had been two weeks. Two whole weeks since Red Robin had been captured. The team had exhausted their contacts, calling on everyone who owed them a favour. And yet, they had no luck.<p>

No one was willing to get close enough to the organisation, let alone knew where Red Robin was being held. None of the teenager's contacts could understand the team's new desire to find N.O.W.H.E.R.E. In fact, many had labelled the teenage meta's as crazy, drifting without a designated leader. Red Robin's absents was noticed and dearly missed.

There was an annoying series of thuds from the other side of the desk as Kid Flash tapped his pen against the metal, not paying attention as his super speed kicked in. Growling slightly, Wonder Girl reached over and grabbed the pen, throwing it away as Kid Flash started at her. She glared in reply.

On the other side of the room, the tv flashed. It had survived Bunkers experiments and was now hanging from Skitters web. The insectnoid was watching the flashing lights, seemingly engrossed in the program. Bunker and Solstice had disappeared, leaving the three remaining teenagers on their own in the quiet room. That was why the news report echoed through the room, catching the attention of all the young metas.

'_This just in. Hero team, the Justice League has publicly confirmed, they have apprehended Professor Ivo, creator of the Amazo robot.'_

Slowly (For a speedster, at least) Kid Flash rose to his feet and stepped closer to the web, trying to get close enough to see the screen without startling Skitter. On the screen, the presenter continued to talk as footage of the Superhero group flashed up on TV. Under his mask, Bart's eyes narrowed as a blur of red flashed across the screen. An idea formed in his head.

"Of course. The Justice League." He muttered to himself.

"What?" Wonder Girl asked, walking over to him.

Kid Flash looked over at her.

"The Justice League." The speedster repeated. "They can help us rescue Red."

Wonder Girl stared at him in disbelief.

"Are you serious? Why would the League want to help people like us? We are just a group of thieves and freaks."

Once again, the red blur appeared on the screen, moving too fast for the cameras to catch. But Kid Flash was looking for it. The teenager couldn't help it. He grinned.

"Let's just say, I know someone on the inside." The teenager replied.

* * *

><p>The cell was still white, but Tim couldn't tell. The boy tossed on the white bed, sweat running down his face. He had been drugged with some sort of fear toxin, that much he knew. Probably as punishment for his continued silence and probably in one of the small, bland meals which were his only source of nourishment through his captivity.<p>

It wasn't the first time the third boy wonder had experienced a fear toxin, and knowing Tim Drake's track record, it wouldn't be the last. He groaned as images flooded through his mind, sending a fresh wave of fear. Curling into a ball on the bed, Tim couldn't stop the shaking. He took a deep breath, trying to regain some sort of control and clear his mind the way Batman had taught him.

Gaining a few moments of clarity, Tim tried to remember how he had gotten to this point. Although he still couldn't gain sense of the time, he was sure he had been here for weeks. Since Templar's interrogation, Tim had been subjected to three other sessions, each time with different interrogators. Each time, they tried to press information out of him. Each time, they tried to scare him into selling his soul. And now it looked like they were trying to frighten him again.

The teen wonder tried not to shudder at the memory of the last interrogation a few days before when the two agents, growing frustrated with his silence, had pulled out a knife and advanced on him. It had been a close call, the two men grinning wickedly at him as they moved closer. The strange meta teen who had been present at the first and all of the subsequent interrogation had stepped forward, possibly to stop the impending attack, possibly to join in. Tim wasn't sure. However, what he was sure of was the sudden arrival of another agent who quickly informed the interrogators that their time was up and the prisoner was to be escorted back to his cell. The two agents had glared at the third before one of them had turned and silently left the room. The other agent had turned and given Tim an evil look before following his friend. Tim's saviour had ignored the hostility and ordered the 'Superboy'(Tim didn't know what else to call him. After all, what else do you call a young guy wearing the 'S' shield?) to take Tim back to the white room.

The memory instantly led to other memories. Of the Joker, of Ra's Al Ghul, of every time he had been captured by one of Gotham's resident psychopaths. Tim shuddered at the memories, trying to muffle his whimper in the thin pillow. A tear trickled from the corner of his eye.

The first time he had been subjected to fear toxins as Robin, had been early in his crime fighting career. While checking out an old meth lab at Batman's orders, he had accidently set off a trap set by the Scarecrow.

The then boy wonder had fought and kicked at the goons which surrounded him, his attacks sloppy but still effective even with the overwhelming fear.

It was just luck that Nightwing happened to be in the area. Although his relationship with the Dark Knight had not been at its best, Dick hadn't hesitated to respond to Tim's distress calls, tracking down and rescuing his little brother, taking Tim back to the cave for treatment.

Tim had fought and kicked even when Dick tried to touch him, unable to tell friend from foe but the first Robin hadn't cared, pulling Tim into an unbreakable hug. Nightwing had refused to release his little brother until they were both back in the cave, the antidote administered and Tim was finally starting to regain his senses.

Although Tim would never admit it, that hug had been the one thing which had kept him from giving into his fears.

Tim shuddered again as more memories broke through his defences, these not as pleasant as the memories of his oldest brothers care. Memories of finding his father, murdered in their apartment, memories of losing Bruce, of losing friends and foes, memories of people dying. Even memories of himself dying, through injury, through illness, through loss of hope.

Paralysed in fear, he bit back a scream, stopped himself from begging for Bruce, for Dick, for anyone to help him. To save him from the nightmares.

Tim couldn't react, not even as a warm hand was placed on his back. The hand didn't move, just stayed resting on his shoulder as Tim slowly got use to it. Slowly, the boy relaxed into the comfort of the touch and the silence of the owner.

* * *

><p>Superboy watched the scene from his usual spot, watched as Robin curled into a ball, the teen trembling under the force of his fear. With a small gulp, the clone fought back instincts he wasn't aware he had. Instincts he had followed in the VR when he had run after Robin into the burning house. Instincts which were now telling him to rip apart the walls, to protect this human from his fears.<p>

Superboy couldn't understand why this human had such power over him, why he wanted so badly, to go against his orders and rescue the teen. Maybe Templar was wrong, maybe this teen was some sort of meta, exhibiting a power only the clone could pick up on. Or maybe, just maybe, the reason why the weapon was fascinated with the boy was because the teen was everything the clone wanted to become.

The teen was brave, powerful in his weakness and not afraid to fight for those he cared for. Everything Superboy found himself admiring. Even when the agents had advanced on the boy, Robin had stood his ground where the clone couldn't.

Superboy remembered that situation. The teen had been silent for the whole interrogation, not giving anything away and the agents, believing themselves to be the best, had grown frustrated, finally pulling out a knife. Watching the agents carefully, Superboy had been seconds away from breaking both their necks when the third agent had arrived, calling the two off. The situation had deflated, but Superboy could still remember the mix of fear and anger as he watched the two armed agents advance on the defenceless teen.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, the clone blinked as the imprisoned birds trembling grew almost violently intense. So intense that Superboy could feel the waves of fear even from his spot on the opposite side of the mirror. It took all the clones willpower to stop himself drawing his fist back and letting it fly on the glass. He wanted nothing more than to try and comfort the other teen, to try and make everything better, and yet, he still didn't know why.

He could feel his consciousness spreading out across the room, feeling its way through the walls and into the cell. He inched closer and closer, keeping a firm grip on his powers. Finally he could feel the whole room and the frightened teen inside. Gently he rested his consciousness around Red Robin, letting it feel like a hand resting on the teens back. He hoped that, somewhere in his terror filled mind, the teen would feel comfort in the action.

* * *

><p>So, is it just me, or did this get a little slashy? Damn, I have really got to stop reading the Young Avengers while writing. I keep putting Billy and Teddy in place of other characters. Oh well, Justice League in the next chapter.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Conner and Tim are taking a back seat for a little while. Lets see what else is happening in this world.

* * *

><p>A light flickered on, washing across the polished wood of the expensive desk.<p>

Releasing the switch, Templar lent back against his chair, his hands locked together in front of his face, his two index fingers resting on his chin as he stared down at the single card on the bare wood. His glasses flashed in the light.

Two whole weeks and finally Red Robin's capture had produced a result. Certainly the teen himself was continuing to remain mute and Templar had to admit, he was impressed at the teenagers fortitude. However, the young hero had made one mistake when he had faced N.O.W.H.E.R.E. for the final time. He had left a vital piece of information hidden in his costume.

Certainly, it had been well hidden, tucked away in a secret pocket. It had taken Templar's scientists several searches of the equipment before one of them had uncovered the hiding spot. But when they did, what a treasure they found.

Untangling his hands, the agent reached down and picked up the card, holding it towards the light. The bat symbol was almost unrecognisable in the gloom, a black smudge in the middle of the card. However, the three letters under the bat were undeniable.

INC.

Templar smiled and placed the card back down in the middle of the desk. He had theorised on his first meeting with the teenager all those months ago that the boy had some connection with the Bats of Gotham. The hero name Robin was too similar to the Red Robin's chosen name and the boy's abilities were too similar to the descriptions of the Batman. However, as much as Templar believed his theory, it was only that… a theory.

Templar had controlled N.O.W.H.E.R.E.s agents for years by presenting evidence. Despite how much he believed, he could not work off a theory. But now the theory had proven to be true. Red Robin was allied to the Batman. And more than that, it seemed that the boy was a former Robin, one of the many protégés the Dark Knight tended to have by his side.

Of course, Templar couldn't confirm Red Robin's status as one of Batman's trainees, but he could confirm a connection, and that was enough for him to realise what a gold mine he currently held in the cell.

Batman was one of the most prominent non-meta heroes in the world. The Dark Knight was rumoured to be the world's greatest detective and to know the identities of all the worlds meta heroes. That sort of information in N.O.W.H.E.R.E.s hands could see the end of this meta society which had appeared over the last few years.

How glorious it would be to see aliens like the so called Man of Steel or those traitors the Green Lanterns, the mutant Hawks and the other freaks which the world had idolised, taken down forever.

Of course, N.O.W.H.E.R.E. would have to be careful. Breaking Red Robin was proving to be difficult enough and gaining the information would be time consuming. Once they managed to get the identity of the Dark Knight from the teen, the organisation would then have to use the information carefully. Batman was dangerous and unpredictable. If he didn't put enough value on his own secret identity, he could potentially take down the whole organisation. And would the failsafe for catching the Dark Knight work? Would Batman place any value on Red Robin's life? Would he want to save the boy, especially if N.O.W.H.E.R.E. managed to force the teen to work for them?

If the threat of revealing his secret identity to the world fell through would the Dark Knight respond to the threat of Red Robin's demise?

It was these questions Templar needed answers too. Only then would he know if he had the power to control the Dark Knight.

* * *

><p>The ground was littered with rubble, giant cracks running through the concrete where the Man of Steel had hit the ground. Shacking dust off himself, Superman stood up and looked back at his assailant, trying to fight the wave of sickness which washed over him.<p>

Metallo was standing, waiting for the fallen hero to get back on his feet, kryptonite heart glowing. Superman glared at him. Suddenly, there was a crash as Metallo raised his foot, tripping up the Flash as the fastest man alive attempted to hit him. Barry fell forward, hitting the ground hard.

There was a metal ping as several projectiles hit Metallo's back. The part-man, part-machine turned with a roar, glaring at Batman as the Dark Knight backed away. The projectiles suddenly exploded, knocking the villain off his feet. With impressive speed, Batman threw out a line, catching around Metallo's waist. The villain rose to his feet, preparing to jump at Batman. Green chains wrapped themselves around Metallo's torso, stopping his jump as Green Lantern floated to the ground, ring pointed at the metal man. Metallo grinned and raised his imprisoned arms. The chains broke, flickering out of existence and the sudden force knocking Hal off his feet. Grapping the line, Metallo ripped it out of Batman's hands, the Dark Knight only narrowly escaping as the villain lunged for him.

He ducked out of the way as Wonder Woman aimed a punch, grapping her arm when she got too close and throwing her towards Cyborg as he aimed his canon, knocking both off their feet.

The villain walked towards Superman, who was forced slowly back as the kryptonite radiation washed over him.

A yellow blur rushed past the Man of Steel, suddenly becoming a teenage boy. The boy ducked down, hitting Metallo across the knees. The villain, taken by surprise, stumbled backwards. A rope dropped around the half-man, half-machine, tightening suddenly. Metallo turned as a teenage girl, dressed in red appeared, holding onto the end of the rope. As Metallo struggled against the rope, a giant spider like creature dropped down onto the villains back, spitting a green substance on his metal arm. The arm started to smoke as the substance burned through the metal.

Metallo roared again, trying to throw the spider thing off. The teen in yellow appeared again, moving with what could only be super-speed. He grabbed the villain's legs. Metallo, his arms still tied tight, struggled to gain his balance. The girl in red flew forward, landing a punch on Metallos head and sending the villain to the ground. The Spider climbed off its perch, rising to its full height and looking down at the damage. Superman finally got a good look at it. It was defiantly female and humanoid. Apart from that, the Man of Steel couldn't tell.

There was a moment of silence as everyone held their breath, waiting to see if Metallo was going to get up. When it was clear he wasn't, the older heroes looked at the new arrivals.

"What is going on here?" Superman asked, looking at the teens as they grouped together. There were more of them then the hero had expected, five in total. The girl in red who seemed to has super strength and the female insectoid. A strange dark female with pulsing blue light racing across her skin had appeared, along with a masked boy dressed in purple. But that wasn't what caught Superman's attention.

The boy in yellow was surprisingly familiar, and not just because he was a speedster. The logo on the boy's chest was that of the Flash. But why was the teen wearing it?

Superman looked up as the rest of his team drew closer, circling around the teenagers who were watching the adults, looking for any escapes. All except the young speedster who was staring at the Flash. The Flash who was looking at the teen in horror.

"Bart!" The adult speedster said, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

Finally the younger speedster looked down, blushing slightly.

"Hi Grampa Barry."

The League members turned to stare at their speedster as the Flash finally realised he was being watched.

"Grampa?" Wonder Woman asked.

Barry sighed and tried to run his hand through his hair, forgetting that he was wearing his mask. Realising what he was doing, he dropped his hand.

"It's a long story." He muttered. His brown eyes met the yellow ones of his 'grandson'. "Bart, what are you doing here?"

Bart crossed his arms against his chest, ignoring how the rest of his team tried to shift away from the looks the older heroes were fixing on their speedster.

"We came to ask you for help." Bart replied.

This distracted Superman away from the question of how Barry Allen, one of the younger members of the Justice League, could be the grandfather of a teenager.

"Help?" He asked, finally breaking into the silent standoff between the two speedsters. The teen (Bart) looked up at Superman.

"Our friend has been captured by an evil organisation which has been hunting us." The teen said, looking up at the Man of Steel. Superman glanced over at Batman. The Dark Knight was a detective. If anyone could figure out what the teen was speaking about, it would be Batman. After all, he had raised (or at least partly raised) four crime fighters and could tell if a teen was over or under-estimating a situation.

"Speak." The Detective growled, glaring at the teen. Bart suddenly looked fearful.

"Well…." He hesitated, suddenly not sure what to say.

Thankfully, Cassie decided to step in, although Bart wasn't sure if it was to face Batman or to get away from Wonder Woman, who was glaring at her.

"N.O.W.H.E.R.E. What do you know?"

Batman met her glare.

"Anti-meta protest group. They are very secretive but I have found connections between them and the more violent political protests for meta registration."

Cassie laughed. It wasn't a nice laugh.

"You forgot the part about them trying to kidnap us!"

The League looked over at Batman, who was eyeing Cassie with well hidden interest.

"Continue." He started.

Cassie licked her lips. She didn't really know what else to say.

"Well, you see, our friend Red Robin was…"

"Oh no." Superman whispered.

Batman advanced on the teens suddenly, glaring down at them.

"Tell me everything. Now!"


	7. Chapter 7

I love the DC Universe. There are so many characters to play with. The only problem is that it is hard to leave stories in only one catagory.

Again, no Tim or Kon. But the rest of the Batfamily will make an appearace (Well, almost all of the Batfamily.) And I will try to get our favorite teen heroes back next chapter.

* * *

><p>Batman's mind was racing as the teens stuttered their way through the story, telling of how Red Robin had found them, protecting them from N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and fashioning them into a working team. The story got progressively darker, the five teens starting to struggle as they drew to the end of the tale, of the storming of their HQ and the capture of their leader.<p>

The teens switched speaker repeatedly as they tried to cover everything, occasionally glancing at the Dark Knight. The detective stood still as a statue, no emotion showing through his cowl.

Finally as Cassie's voice started to break, shoulders shaking as she tried to repress her emotions, Batman spoke.

"Why didn't you come to us earlier?" he asked, his deep voice taking on a surprisingly gentle tone, even as Superman watched him fight for control.

There was silence, none of the teens willing to put themselves on the spot.

Something buzzed, breaking the silence. Batman raised his hand, touching something on the side of his cowl.

"Not now Nightwing." He growled into the communicator hidden in his mask. There was another moment of silence as whoever was on the other side of the link spoke. Batman didn't move. Then, slowly, his free hand was forced into a fist.

"On my way." He muttered, tapping the comm again.

The detective turned his back to the group, already stalking across the rubble and away from the battle zone.

"Batman?" Superman called after his friend. The Dark Knight didn't even pause.

"You deal with the children Clark. I'm going to get my son." Batman growled, voice low enough that only the Man of Steel could hear him.

Clark looked back at the kids. The young speedster was clinging to the Flash, leaving no doubt that the two were related. The giant spider had reverted back to a young girl and was standing next to the boy dressed in purple. The boy, introduced as Bunker, had somehow summoned up a series of purple bricks and was trying to get the girl to sit with him. The dark skinned girl, Solstice was floating in the air, refusing to let anyone near her. The blond girl, introduced as Wonder Girl, had wrapped her arms around herself, ignoring the look Wonder Woman was giving her.

The whole League had heard a lot about the young thief with the same abilities as their Amazonian princess, who had mimicked her cover. At first, Diana had felt angry, frustrated that the girl had made a mockery of her. But now, looking at the girl as she slowly broke down, Diana couldn't help but feel sorry. These kids had been through hell, hunted down simply because they were different and the one person who had tried to save them had been captured.

Stepping forward, she placed a hand on the younger girls shoulder.

"It will be alright. I promise." She muttered, hoping she wasn't going to be turned into a liar.

* * *

><p>Nightwing ignored the grunts and growls as he walked through the cave, the home of Gotham's Dark Knight.<p>

Behind him, Robin was killing training robots with frightening competence. Well, killing wasn't really the right word. The ten year old was dismantling the things, taking them apart like he was born to do it. Something which Nightwing had to remind himself wasn't the case.

Sitting down at the computer, the older hero pulled off his mask and sighed, watching as the computer flickered to life. Technically, he was babysitting his youngest brother while Bruce was away with the Justice League. It was something which was happening more and more often and Dick Grayson was starting to suspect, that it was Bruce's way of trying to keep Damian happy. The boy was clearly much more comfortable around Dick then he was any other member of the family, his father included and Bruce was clearly unsure how to deal with the situation himself, instead choosing to let someone else handle it. Dick suspected he was going to have to have a chat with his mentor sometime soon.

Alfred, the enabler of the whole Batfamily, appeared at his side like a ghost. The Englishman didn't speak, simply placing a mug of tea at Dick's side before turning away again to watch Damian work.

Sipping the tea, Dick opened up the files, hoping that Bruce had found time to let his oldest know how much longer he would be away.

There was the flash of a message.

It was not the Bat symbol Dick had expected. Instead, it was a red circle, black bird head in the centre. Red Robin.

Dick raised an eyebrow. He hadn't talked to his teenage brother in ages, only receiving cryptic letters every few weeks to let him know that Tim was still alive. In fact, no one really knew where the teenage agent of Batman Inc. was, or what he was doing.

But despite the distance, despite the many months since the two had talked, Dick could see the wrongness of the situation. Tim didn't leave messages. He always communicated with the rest of the family face to face, even when he was on the other side of the world.

Clicking the link, Dick tried not to flinch at the light as the message started up. Tim was sitting in front of the camera, dressed in his costume, only his black mask missing.

"Batman." The teenager started. "If you have received this message, then exactly two weeks ago, the wipe-out virus on my computer was activated and this was sent into cyberspace. Hopefully this means that I have simply made a mistake, something I am sure Robin would love. But more likely it will mean that I was attacked and forced to destroy everything before being captured or killed. This message contains all the research I have collected on the organisation known as N.O.W.H.E.R.E."

Tim sighed on the screen and looked away before looking back at the camera.

"Bruce." He said softly. "This information, in the wrong hands, could see a lot of people hurt or killed."

Tim continued to talk, but Dick was already on his feet, pushing his comm into his ear and activating it.

There was a moment of silence before a voice growled down the line.

"Not now Nightwing." Batman growled.

Dick couldn't take his eyes off the screen, off his younger brother, who was gone and possibly dead.

"Batman. I've just received a message. It's from Red Robin." He muttered down the line.

There was silence. Dick's heart sank. Bruce must have already known.

"On my way."

The comm went dead.

* * *

><p>Batman arrived to silence in the cave. His whole household was standing by the computer, Alfred standing at the back with Damian while Dick worked on the computer. Tim's message was still playing, the teenagers voice too low to hear as Dick scanned through the documents.<p>

Walking to his oldest son's side, Batman looked at the documents.

"Names, places….He's given us everything on these N.O.W.H.E.R.E. agents and where they are located. Even information on possible victims. But nothing on where the organisation is based or who is running it. No containment facilities, no secret bases." Dick said, not looking as Batman pulled his cowl away from his face.

"He's given us the clues to finding him." Bruce said, pushing Dick to the side so he could step closer to the screen.

"So you think he is still alive?" Dick asked, trying not to let the hope show in his voice.

Bruce didn't answer. He scrolled through the list. A name caught his eye.

"There are people from all over the world on here. N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is huge!" Dick muttered.

There was a grunt from behind them.

"Only Drake could be so incompetent." Damian muttered as he stepped closer, standing at Dick's side.

"Damian, talk like that again and I will give Alfred the day off and make you clear out the sub-caves." Dick replied, not even looking away. However, the older hero did place a hand on Damian's shoulder.

Damian tutted but fell silent.

"Here." Bruce muttered, pointing at the screen. "Our first step."

Dick looked at the screen.

"Dr Michael Phillip. No, that can't be right." Dick looked up at his former mentor. "He's part of Child Protective Services."

"He monitors all the orphanages in Gotham. Where else is a better place to steal teenagers then to take them from places they won't be missed?"

Dick nodded in agreement before typing something. A window flashed up. It was a newspaper article.

"I believe he was the guest of honour at a charity function to raise funds for St. Aden's orphanage today sir."

Both Dick and Bruce turned to look at Alfred.

"Bruce Wayne was invited, but I took the liberty to decline on your behalf. I imagined that you had other things to do."

Bruce nodded but Dick was no longer paying attention. Under his hand, Damian had tensed up, staring at the screen which showed a group of smiling children gathered around the Doctor. The Doctor, who was smiling down at a red haired boy.

"Little D?" Dick asked, wondering what had spooked the kid.

"No." Damian muttered. "Colin!"

The boy turned, knocking Dick's hand away as he broke into a run.

"Damian!" Dick called after the disappearing boy.

"Go after him." Bruce ordered.

Dick paused, caught between following Bruce's orders and wanting to find his teenage brother.

"GO!" Bruce ordered, putting the full force of the Bat in his voice. Dick slowly nodded, pressing his mask to his face. Red lenses glowed.

The hero turned, running after his baby brother.

Bruce turned back to the screen, minimising the windows.

"Sir, if you don't mind my asked, what are you planning to do next?" Alfred asked.

A new window was opened, this one showing a map of the earth. Bats were placed over the top of cities across the world.

Slowly, Bruce slipped the cowl back over his head.

"Calling for backup." The Dark Knight replied.


	8. Chapter 8

So once again, Tim and Conner avoided me. They really don't want to play with me at the moment. Oh well. I guess they will just have to come out next chapter. But on the bright side, Colin turns up.

A apology for not updating sooner. I somehow started a new story (Seriously, No idea how it happened. I just started writing a one-shot and it took off.)

* * *

><p>The sisters had told him it was dangerous, walking around at night. You could never be sure what was waiting in the shadows, epically in the nightmare city of Gotham. But the night had never really scared Colin Wilkes. It was probably one of the only things that didn't scare him. After all, it was hard to be scared when you had at least one of Gotham's protectors on your side.<p>

But Damian hadn't been around recently. Sure, Robin had been spotted with Batman, and Colin had seen his friend in newspaper photos, always at his father or brothers side during press interviews for Wayne Industries. But Damian hadn't been 'around'. He hadn't dropped by for any late night visits to the orphanage like he use too. He hadn't joined Colin on any of his late night walks. Despite himself, Colin was starting to wonder if Damian was throwing him away now that his father was back. Maybe they no longer had anything in common now that Damian had a parent back in his life.

Colin tried not to let the thought get him down. Damian was the son of the richest man in Gotham. He wasn't supposed to play with orphans. It made sense that the other boy would want to put distance between them now that his father was back. And besides, Colin would still be fine without him. He was Abuse after all. He was a real hero. He was ….lonely.

Although Colin made a point of not complaining, it was hard for him to make friends. Even with his control over the Venom in his blood, other children tended to keep their distance. Like they knew what he was. Damian had been the only person Colin's age who had ever really talked to him. And now he was gone.

Colin sighed and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his worn out hoodie as he turned a corner. There was the sound of footsteps behind him. Colin ignored them, pushing his hands deeper against his stomach to avoid the cold, his eyes fixed to the ground, his mind turning to other things. Like that creepy doctor from the charity at the orphanage. The man had kept smiling at Colin even when he had been talking to the sisters. It wasn't a nice smile either. It was a smile which made Colin shiver.

Looking up from the ground, Colin finally noticed the figure. A man was leaning against the wall ahead of him, a cigarette hanging from his lips. The man looked up and smirked as Colin stepped closer. Colin froze. He may only be ten, but he knew he didn't want to keep walking that way. The boy turned around, ready to retreat. What he didn't expect, was to crash into another man.

"Woah!" The man said, grabbing Colin's arm, seemingly trying to steady the boy. "You better watch yourself kid."

Colin tried to step back, to get away but the man didn't release his arm. Instead the grip tightened. Colin's blood started to race, the dormant Venom in his system starting to wake. There was a bang. A sharp pain pulsed in his neck. Using his free hand, Colin reached up to his neck even as a new, foreign burn rushed through his body. There was something sticking out of his neck. Colin felt himself start to panic, to reach deep inside of himself and release Abuse. But it wasn't working. Nothing was working. Frantically, he tried to pull away from the man, to escape. His vision started to go black.

Behind him, the second man drew closer. One of the men snickered.

"Easiest five G's we've ever made." The man holding Colin commented.

Colin tried to kick at the man but his legs suddenly couldn't hold him. The boy dropped to his knees, suddenly really dizzy.

"Leave him alone!" A voice cried in the gloom.

Suddenly, Colin's arm was released. The boy hit the ground, unable to hold himself up. The two men stumbled back, right in front of Colin's form. A flash of yellow fell through the gloom, hitting one of the men and bouncing off, crashing into the second man before hitting the ground. The figure rolled before jumping to his feet, standing in front of Colin.

"You will not touch him!" Robin growled, voice low and deadly as he reached into his belt, pulling out a batarang. The two men seemed to collect themselves. They looked the Boy Wonder up and down.

One turned to the other.

"What do ya think? Double pay check if we bring in the brat wonder?" He asked his friend.

The second man shrugged.

"He'd have to be worth ten G's at least on his own."

The two men grinned before turning to look at Robin.

"This isn't your lucky day kid." The one with the smoke said. He raised his hand.

A blast of energy shot out of his hand. Robin dropped to the ground, rolling out of the way before throwing out the projectile. The two men ducked, avoiding the weapon. The second man jumped into the air, crashing down to the ground in front of the child hero. The sudden impact knocked Robin off his feet again.

"Meta's!" The boy spat.

The Boy Wonder rolled out of the way as the man made a grab for him, releasing out a line and pulling himself away. He landed on the smoking man, fist crashing into the man's jaw. The man fell to the ground, a stray burst of power flying wild. Pulling on the line, Robin managed to wrap it around the man's neck, pulling the dazed man in front of him as his friend attempted to punch him.

The man was knocked into Robin, sending the kid into the wall. The second man grinned, ignoring his groaning friend on the ground as he grabbed Robin's cape, lifting the boy off the ground.

Robin started to chock, the pressure restricting his breathing.

"Looks like the little bird has nothing left." The man smirked.

Suddenly, Robin smiled.

"I wouldn't say that." A voice said, right by the man's ear.

The man turned, dropping Robin to the ground. A flash of silver shot through the air, crashing into the man's jaw. The man landed heavily at Nightwing's feet with a grunt. The older hero raised the eskrima stick before bringing it down on the man's head, sending him into unconsciousness.

"Next time, pick on someone your own size." He muttered,

Placing the weapon back in its sheath, Nightwing quickly tied up the attacker before turning to the second man, securing him too. Finally, he turned to his little brother.

"Robin?" He asked.

The Boy Wonder was kneeling by the red haired kid, shaking him desperately.

"Colin!" The boy muttered. "Dammit Wilkes, wake up."

Nightwing walked over to the prone form, quickly kneeling down to check the kid. He sighed in relief as he pulled the dart out of the boy's neck.

"He's just unconscious Little D." He muttered, trying to reassure his kid brother.

Robin nodded slowly. He looked over at the two men.

"Now what?" he asked.

Nightwing followed his gaze.

"Now, we get information." He replied.

* * *

><p>Andy Loran wasn't a bad man. He was a meta. A man with super strength. When he was a teenager, he had been abducted by a crazy man. Pleading for his life, the then boy had struck a deal. He would keep his freedom, but on the condition he would use his abilities in any way he was ordered.<p>

Collecting kids was just another way he avoided becoming trapped.

So he wasn't expecting to wake up upside down, his ankles and hands tied together and nothing to stop his fall for almost ten floors.

A pair of red eyes glowed at him.

There was a hand in his hair. Suddenly, he was pulled closer to the red eyes.

"Now, we are going to play a little game called Truth." A voice growled.

Andy looked around quickly. The eyes belonged to a masked man. The man was balanced on a beam like some sort of gymnast. However, Andy couldn't ignore the muscles bulging through the skin tight red and black outfit.

The man seemed to realise he didn't have Andy's attention. He pulled Andy closer.

"Why did you try to kidnap Colin?" The man asked.

Andy blinked.

"Who?"

The man let go of his hair, letting Andy swing.

"Robin." He called.

Andy looked around wildly. He spotted the young hero, leaning against a pulley system. The kid grinned and pulled a switch.

Andy screamed as he suddenly found himself in free fall, racing down ten floors to the concrete below. Suddenly, he was jerked to a stop, dangling only metres from the ground. Slowly, he was pulled up until he was facing the man again.

"The child you tried to kidnap. Why?"

"Look man, I don't know anything." Andy said desperately.

The man shook his head slowly before making a cutting motion across his throat. Once again, Andy was dropped, screaming all the way.

"Third chance." The man muttered as once again, Andy was hauled into position. "Who hired you?"

"Some doctor!" Andy said quickly. He really didn't think he could survive another fall. "Doctor….Doctor Phillip."

The man looked closely at him.

"Why?" He growled.

"I dunno man! He just tells us who to grab and then gives us the cash when we nab them." Andy said hurriedly.

The man looked away, shaking his head.

There was a soft beep. The man looked down at his glove. A red light was flashing on his right glove.

Andy stared at it.

"What does that mean?" He asked, trying not to panic.

The man turned to look at Robin. The boy was looking down at his belt, the buckle flashing in the same pattern as the man's glove. He turned back to Andy.

"Looks like you are out of time." He muttered.

Somewhere in the streets Gotham, a police siren sounded. The man stood suddenly. Yanking at the ropes securing his wrists, Andy managed to break his bounds. He made a grab for the man. The man ducked out of the way, his back still on Andy.

"Come on Robin." The man said.

The boy smirked at Andy before turning and following the man into the shadows.

* * *

><p>The lab was quiet as the scientists worked, running through various tests. The Red Robin costume had been analysed again and again, N.O.W.H.E.R.E.s greatest minds trying to work out its secrets and analysing the small arsenal of weapons which continued to grow each time they uncovered a new secret compartment.<p>

Although none of them had met the teenage hero who had worn this outfit, they had all heard of the boys abilities. They worked to produce a living weapon. And now it looked like they had found one.

This Red Robin was quickly becoming a legend among the scientists as they continued to study the equipment, analysing the fabric and searching through the belts.

What they weren't expecting was the shoulder plate to suddenly glow, lighting up the bird head with a soft beeping sound.

Ten minutes later, when the lab had been evacuated due to a bomb threat, the black chest plate flashed briefly, showing the red symbol of a bat before the light faded, as if it had never been.

* * *

><p>Batman stood before his computer, watching as the screen showed separate squares of static. Suddenly, one of them lit up, showing a masked face.<p>

"Nightrunner." Batman acknowledged, nodding to the figure.

Another screen opened up. And another.

"Batwing reporting." One screen said.

"This is Knight and Squire." Another screen added.

"Dark Ranger here, reporting as ordered."

"Spoiler and Blackbat are ready."

Batman greeted all of his operatives as their faces appeared on the screen, Mr Unknown, El Gaucho and The Hood joining in.

Another face flashed up. One Batman had secretly hoped for but hadn't expected to join.

"Red Hood." He acknowledged.

The former Robin nodded. It had been part of the deal between him and his former father. Red Hood would be left to his own devices, along with his friends the so called 'Outlaws', but in return, he was not allowed in Gotham for business and had to acknowledge any calls from the family.

But two screens remained in static. The names underneath each screen identifying who was missing. Nightwing and Red Robin. Batman watched them, ignoring his agents as they talked to each other, speculating on why their leader had called them. Finally, one of the screens when dim before a face flashed up.

"Nightwing and Robin, checking in."

Batman didn't bother greeting his oldest and youngest, instead he glared at the screen.

"You took the Batmobile." He growled.

Nightwing grinned.

"In fall fairness, Robin had already hotwired it when I got there."

Under his cowl, Batman rolled his eyes.

"Regardless, what is your report?"

Nightwing seemed to sigh.

"Dr Phillip is defiantly working for N.O.W.H.E.R.E. We just stopped two of his hired guns trying to abduct a kid."

Next to Nightwing, Robin stiffened and turned in his seat, looking at a bundle on the back seat.

"N.O.W.H.E.R.E?" A voice asked.

Batman looked up at Blackbat. His adopted daughter and Hong Kong agent was good at reading people. The Dark Knight could see her reading him, noticing the concern in his posture.

Straightening his back and turning to look at all his agents, Batman quickly began to explain, preparing his agents for what they were about to fact. Preparing them for all-out war against N.O.W.H.E.R.E.

* * *

><p>So, for a story which started out as a Teen Titans story, this is becoming very Batman. I hate trying to stick to a single category. Or even two categories. The DC verse is way too big.<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

So a huge apology to everyone waiting for this chapter. I started holidays and lost the drive to write. Plus I have been trying to juggle both this and another story (Why? Why do I do this to myself?)

Hopefully this will get me back on the horse so to speak, since things are about to go down.

* * *

><p>The pieces were in play, war declared. And yet, Batman stood silently in the cave, witness to something he had never seen before. Nightwing and Robin had remained online during their journey back to the cave; Dick answered all his father's questions and making several well-chosen comments while Damian had silently ignored him, glancing repeatedly at the back seat of the Batmobile. Bruce hadn't commented then, choosing to give his orders to his agents, but he had been surprised when Knight had asked about sidelining Squire and all the other young agents until it was safe and Robin hadn't said a word. In fact, the boy didn't seem to care even as Batman agreed and gave the orders that would effectively lock him out of the case before signing off, sending his agents out to their job.<p>

The Batmobile had glided into the cave ten minutes later and Bruce had waited for a few moments, wondering if he was about to witness another of Damian's famous temper tantrums. But the boy had been silent, jumping out of his seat and walking around to the driver's side as Nightwing climbed out.

Dick ignored the kid, reaching through the seats to a bundle in the back. Carefully, he picked up the bundle in both arms, turning until his back was too the vehicle.

"Go get Alfred." He muttered softly to the red, green and black boy next to him.

Bruce waited for Damian to retaliate, to argue or shout Dick down for treating him like a messenger boy but the boy simply nodded and bolted past his father in search of the butler.

Pushing away from the car, Dick slowly made his way up one of the gantries and past Batman, heading towards the medical bay. As he past, Bruce could make out a flash of red hair under the dark cloth which was, Bruce finally recognised, Robin's cape.

Nightwing ignored Batman, stepping into the small medical bay and lowering his bundle onto one of the tables. Carefully he removed Robin's cape, revealing a small boy underneath. Throwing the cape over his shoulder, the hero arranged the boy to rest comfortably on the table before backing away.

Bruce stepped forward.

"Nightwing." He growled. Dick had been raised by a ridged set or rules, the most important of which was never let a civilian know what they did. He should have known better then to bring the boy here.

Nightwing ignored his mentor, turning his back to the older hero. Lifting the cape off his shoulder, the younger hero began folding it.

Taking another step into the medical bay, he looked down at the shorter hero, ready to give his former partner a well-deserved dressing down.

Suddenly, Dick looked up from the cape, red lenses flashing.

"Back off Bruce. You don't know what this is." He growled in a warning tone, the very tone he had perfected through over a year as Batman.

Bruce blinked. Before he could figure out how to reply, there was the sound of feet, followed by a soft thud as Damian jumped down the stairs. Bruce felt an elbow hit his back as the boy pushed past, making his way around Dick and moving around the examination table to the boys head. The young hero looked closely at the red haired boy before looking up.

"How is he Grayson?" The current Boy Wonder asked.

Dick smiled.

"He's fine Little D."

"I believe I can judge that Master Richard." Another voice said.

All three heroes turned to look at the Englishman as he entered the room. Alfred surveyed the scene carefully before rolling the sleeves of his suit jacket up.

"It appears that Mr Wilkes has met with some sort of accident." The older man sighed as he collected a pair of rubber gloves, ignoring Bruce as his first charge stared in surprise.

Pushing Damian to the side, the older man quickly studied the boy, asking a series of questions over his shoulder, which Dick dutifully answered. He took the boy's temperature and checked his heartbeat, he studied the small dart Dick held out to him and looked at the boys eyes. Finally, he stripped the gloves off.

"I believe Mr Wilkes will make a full recovery shortly." The Englishman said to Dick. Dick nodded in reply, looking over at Damian.

In his corner, the Boy Wonder relaxed.

"Well, that's one thing taken care of. Damian, you can handle everything here. I'm going to go and get the bastard who did this." Dick said, turning on his heels and exiting the room, leaving no room for arguements.

* * *

><p>Tim blinked in the bright light as he slowly woke up. With a groan, he rolled his body off the thin mattress, letting his knees hit the floor. Slowly, the Teen Wonder stretched out, the cool floor pressed against his chest making him shiver despite the thin shirt. Arching his head slightly, Tim spotted the camera.<p>

It had taken him several tests to realise that no one was watching the recordings. They didn't need too when they had Superboy watching him. And yes, Tim had finally become aware of his silent guard.

Rolling onto his side, the teenage hero reached under the bed, his questioning fingers finally finding the frame and the small piece of twisted metal sticking out of it. He pushed his palm against it, noting with relief the small flash of pain in his hand as the metal broke through several layers of skin. As long as he could feel pain, he knew he was awake and not in another nightmare.

Sitting up slowly, Tim climbed to his feet. He ran a hand through his greasy hair, wrinkling his nose in disgust. It had been a very long time since he had last had a shower.

Turning, he walked into the small bathroom and sat down, his head resting against the metal sink. Even though he was sure there was no one watching the cameras, he still wasn't going to take the risk. A few minutes in the bathroom, the only place where there were no cameras, was all he needed.

Reaching over to the drain in the corner, Tim slipped his fingers in the rusted metal holes, pulling the cover away. Using his free hand, the teenager reached into the pipe, searching for something. After a few seconds of searching, he found what he was looking for. He pulled the small roll of paper out and opened it, catching the pencil as it fell. He had managed to steal the paper during one of his first trips outside of the cell and the pencil shortly after. they had been his only tools and only weapons for a long time now.

Flattening the paper on the ground, Tim carefully studied his own handwriting. It had taken a lot of work, a lot of listening to the guard's talk, to studying their accents and listening to their complaints, to looking at his surroundings. All so he could finally piece it all together, to finally know where he was and how he was going to escape. And if his observations were correct, a certain dark haired Superboy was going to help him.

* * *

><p>In his well furbished apartment in the heart of Gotham's Central Business District, Dr Michael Phillip, Head of Child Protective Services in the Gotham district, stared at his phone. It was dark, the lights long since turned off to suggest the occupant was asleep. But he wasn't. The Doctor sighed. His contact was late making the call, to confirm that the cargo had been safely produced and handed over to the proper agents. He hated when people were late, especially when they were carrying important cargo meant for his employers. Especially at night when freaks like the Batman came out to play and could cause trouble.<p>

Leaning back in his chair, the man quickly composed himself. He had rescued those two meta idiots and he could send them right back into that hell with a single word. And it would serve them right for not doing their job.

Pushing his body out of the chair, Dr Phillip began to pace the small dark living room. It wouldn't just be his hired help who would be in trouble if the kid wasn't delivered on time. He had a lot riding on this too. More then those two idiots who was his front, would ever understand.

Walking into the dark kitchen, Dr Phillip opened a cupboard and rummaged around, finally unearthing a bottle of whiskey. Pouring himself a large drink, the Doctor sipped it.

If those two failed, there would be hell to pay. He had worked too hard for too long to have it screw up now.

There was a soft sliding noise from the living room, like paper hitting a surface. Dr Phillip jumped, startled. Placing his glass down on the bench, he made his way back into the living room. Several of his case files were on the floor, blown off the coffee table and under the sofa by the sudden gust of wind from the open window, the street light outside showing the Doctor where they had landed in the gloom. With a sigh, Dr Phillip strode over to the window and closed it, sliding the latch closed.

Pulling the curtains closed behind him to completely block out the light, the Doctor knelt down to retrieve the folders. He froze. Slowly, he rose to his feet and turned to look at the window. He hadn't left it open.

Turning, he looked wildly around at the shadows. Terror washed over him. His fear taking over, Dr Phillip bolted towards the door, looking for the light switch. A shadow rushed forward and suddenly Dr Phillip found himself pinned to the wall, a black hand wrapped around his neck. He lashed out, trying to strike his attacker.

Another hand reached out and grabbed his wrists, pinning them down. Two sets of glowing eyes looked at him.

"Dr Michael Phillip, I have some questions for you." A voice growled in the gloom. Finally, the Doctor's eyes adjusted to the darkness. He really wished they hadn't as he finally recognised one of the shadows as the city's Dark Knight.

"Wa..what do you want to know?" He asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. The Dark Knight was said to be able to smell fear.

The second pair of eyes turned away, the second shadow moving away to look at the folders on the floor. The figure opened one, looking at it. A piece of paper was pulled from the file before it was dropped on the coffee table.

The piece of paper was waved in the air as the figure returned to the Dark Knights side.

"Firstly" A second voice muttered as the red eyes stared at him. "You are going to tell us everything you know about N.O.W.H.E.R.E. Then you are going to get the hell out of town."

* * *

><p>So, my plans for next time, N.O.W.H.E.R.E. is back.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

So the good news is I haven't given up on this story yet. And the bad news...well, I really can't think of any at the moment. I have been so caught up in my other story, The New Outlaw that I haven't had much time to devote to this one but that story is about to end so I can finally put some more time into finishing this. I just hope I haven't pissed off to many people with the long wait. And if you are upset at me, I am really sorry.

* * *

><p>Once again Templar sat at his desk, a dark rage filling the room. In the space of six hours, 13 of his agents stationed across the world had either disappeared or been arrested. At the same time, 13 cards had been found. 13 pieces of white cardboard, each with the dark shape of a bat printed carefully in the middle. The irony of the unlucky number was not lost on Templar.<p>

Templar was not an idiot. He could see what was going on. Somehow Batman, the 'hero' of Gotham, must have found out about Templars prize and was responding in kind.

Clearly, he had once again underestimated the value of the boy. Batman was up in arms, all because of an irritating teenager. That could put N.O.W.H.E.R.E. in a dangerous situation, but could also be a win for the organisation. They had something the Dark Knight clearly wanted and was willing to fight for. Something which may make the Batman listen to reason. All Templar needed to do was play this new angle.

But how?

Batman would be coming soon. Maybe with that pack of misfit freaks the media continued to lavish attention on, the Justice League, or maybe with the strange gathering of humans who had put his organisation on such high alert with their antics.

Either way, Batman would be coming and chances are, he wouldn't be coming alone. N.O.W.H.E.R.E. would be in for a fight, and a big one at that. At no point did Templar want the detective to gain the upper hand.

And to prevent the Bat gaining the upper hand, he must make sure the detective didn't get the boy back.

Like magic, the door opened, two guards stepping into the dark room, followed by Templar's P.A, a young woman hired for two qualities. Being quiet and being stupid.

"The prisoner, code name Red Robin is to be placed in higher security." Templar ordered, not looking at the guards. "The highest security available."

There was a pause as the two men contemplated their orders.

"Sir, that would require removing him from the premises." One of the men stated.

"Exactly. Make it happen."

The men nodded and filed out of the room, closing the door behind them and leaving Templar alone with his P.A. The woman remained silent, waiting for her employer to speak.

Templar lent back in his chair.

"N.O.W.H.E.R.E will be gaining some unwelcome visitors soon. The guards must be on high alert for the moment they arrive."

"Yes sir." The young woman replied, typing something on her electronic pad. "Sir, do you know of our visitor's identities?"

Templar turned his chair to face away from his desk.

"Unfortunately, I think I do."

* * *

><p>Red and blue lights flashed in the darkness, lighting up the street and drawing a crowd as the man was escorted into the back of the police car.<p>

Crouching on the ledge above the street, Nightwing watched with interest. He may have spent a vast majority of his life as a protector of the innocent but he still got a rush every time he saw a criminal being take in. It was why he kept doing what he did, why he gave up so much time to crime fighting.

Even now he couldn't help but smile as Dr Philip was led away. It hadn't taken long for Gotham's heroes to uncover connections between the man and dozens of missing children. Even if N.O.W.H.E.R.E. stepped in, even if all the Judges in Gotham's courts were bribed to let the man off, Dr Philip had gained too much unwanted publicity tonight. The man would never be trusted again. He was finished.

Turning slight, Nightwing looked up at Batman. Under his mask, he raised an eyebrow, silently waiting for his next orders. Although he wanted nothing more than to go and recuse his brother, Batman was his mentor and commander in chief. Whatever the Dark Knight ordered, Nightwing would listen. Of course, sometimes he would ignore those orders or even actively work against them, but he would still wait for his father to have the first word.

Batman turned his back to the scene, stepping away from the ledge.

"Nightwing, return to the cave. I want you to co-ordinate the others while I go after N.O.W.H.E.R.E." came the order.

Nightwing paused, trying to process his orders.

"What? No! I'm going with you." The younger hero shot back, trying to grasp the situation. Jumping to his feet, the former Dark Knight tried to follow his father. What he didn't expect was for the detective to grab his arm, holding him still.

Nightwing glared under his mask at his former mentor, knowing that Batman was returning the glare.

"I am not going to sit this one out Bruce. He's my little brother." Nightwing finally muttered quietly.

Batman released his grip, turning his back to the younger hero.

"I understand that Dick. But as much as Tim needs you right now, so does Damian. Go home. Help him and help us. We need someone to monitor the fight, to help our agents. And to help the League."

"You are bringing the League in on this one? Isn't that a little risky?" Nightwing asked staring at Batman's back.

"N.O.W.H.E.R.E. has been attacking meta humans. The League needs to be seen to do something before the media start to turn against us."

There was a silence as Batman climbed onto the ledge, looking out over the city. Pushing his weight forward, the Detective drove off the roof.

"If they haven't turned against us already." He heard as he glided into the night.

* * *

><p>A soft thud was echoing through the cave, a repetitive sound which faded gently into the background. It was the sound of contemplation.<p>

Damian was sitting on the edge of the steel sink, one foot tucked under his knee while the heel of his other foot repeatedly stuck the bench underneath him. Almost absentmindedly, he stroked Ace's fur, the black kitten purring softly as it dug its sharp claws into the boy's leg.

At Damian's feet, Titus yawned and scratched his ear. The dog was protective of his family but still, his master's actions were not interesting enough to rouse the animal from its cleaning regime.

Footsteps drew closer. Titus ears pricked, his black head turning to look at the new comer. Damian ignored it, his eyes fixed somewhere off in the distance.

"Are you alright Master Damian?"

Damian finally turned, looking away from whatever reality he had been staring into as the Butler entered the medical bay.

"I'm fine Pennysworth." The boy snapped. He immediately cringed, realising what he had raised his voice to the Butler, one of the few people who could and would make his life very difficult. Thankfully, the Englishman didn't seem to mind, handing the boy a glass of milk. "Thank you." Damian muttered in a small voice.

"You are quite welcome Master Damian." Alfred replied, retreating into the gloom.

Damian ignored the sounds as an engine coasted into the cave, as voices drifted through the gloom.

"Hey Little D." A voice said in Damian's ear.

It was to the current Robin's credit that he didn't jump in surprise. Instead he just glared at his older brother as Dick jumped down the stairs. In front of Damian, Titus jumped, the animal glaring at Dick as the older hero moved around the room.

"What are you doing here Grayson?" Damian questioned as Dick looked over the medical equipment.

"Awww Damian. I knew you missed me when I was gone." Dick teased.

Damian rolled his eyes.

"What I mean, is why aren't you with father, rescuing Drake from his stupidity?"

Dick shot him a dirty look over his shoulder.

"That's your brother you are talking about." He reminded Damian.

Damian thought of a rude reply but bit his tongue. He had worked with Grayson long enough to know when he shouldn't push it, and clearly they were entering dangerous territory. Maybe something had gone wrong in his father's mission.

Turning from his work, Dick made his way towards the ladder, reaching out and ruffling Damian's hair as he walked past. Damian growled and flattened down his hair before grabbing Ace off his lap and placing the kitten on the table. Jumping to his feet, he scurried up the stairs, Titus following at his heels.

Grayson was sitting by the computer, typing frantically and speaking softly into an ear piece.

"Nightwing?" Damian asked, realising his voice could travel over the comm. "What's going on?"

Dick sighed and removed the comm from his ear.

"We are about to attack N.O.W.H.E.R.E."

* * *

><p>Tim sighed as he looked up at the two guards towering over him. He had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closed as he tried to meditate when the two had barged in, shouting something about him getting on his feet. The two looked panicky, like something had gone wrong. Faintly, Tim wondered what it was.<p>

"On your feet!" One of the men shouted, as if Tim hadn't gotten the message the first time around. Sighing again, Tim followed the orders, climbing to his feet and rolling his stiff shoulders.

"Hands out in front." The second guard added.

Tim did what he said. He had done this enough times now to know what to do. One of the guards stepped forward. Handcuffs were quickly secured around the teens wrists.

The two guards stepped forward, grabbing his arms and almost dragging him forward. Ok, this was different. Normally the guards didn't want to touch him, too scared of whatever rumours were going around to get within striking distance when guns were enough of an incentive.

Quickly, the guards steered the Teen Wonder out of the room. Tim blinked in surprise as he was rushed down the empty corridor. Normally they were not in such a hurry to interrogate him. Even the Superboy was missing, Tim's silent guard surprisingly absent.

Quickly, Tim calculated in his head. It was early, but he really couldn't see another opportunity for this. Quickly, he looked at one of the guards.

"What's going on?" He asked, pulling gently at the handcuffs, testing the give in the chain.

"Shut up." The guard replied, his eyes fixed on the empty corridor ahead of them. Seemingly relaxing, the guard loosened his grip on Tim's arm.

"Alright then." Tim muttered.

Using all his strength, Tim drove his elbow into the first guards arm, using the opposing force to push his shoulders against the second guard's chest. The first guard dropped, the air knocked from his lungs as the second guard fell back in surprise.

The young hero reacted quickly, pushing his knee up to meet the winded guards jaw before spinning, getting behind the second guard. Hooking the chain around the guard's neck, Tim threw his body weight backwards, pushing his feet up onto the guard's lower back. The guard stumbled backwards, crushing Tim against the wall but the Teen Wonder ignored it, tugging harder on the chain.

The guard gasped, trying to draw a breath as Tim studied him. There was a fine line between knocking a man out and killing him when it came to this sort of activity and despite all the hell N.O.W.H.E.R.E. had put him through, Tim was not prepared to become a killer.

The guard's knees gave way, sending him to the floor.

Quickly, the teenage hero pulled the chain free. Reaching down, he checked for a pulse before sighing in relief. Standing up, Tim looked over at the other unconscious guard. Well, that had worked surprisingly well.

Kneeling down, Tim reached into the guard's pocket, looking for a key. His fingers brushed something cold.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked from behind him.

Tim shot around, body tense as he attempted to raise his arms in a fighting stance before the chain caught him off guard.

The Superboy was hovering in the air behind him, blue eyes looking at him with interest.

Slowly, Tim lowered his arms, watching the other teen wearily. A strange feeling washed over him, like a gentle hand resting on his back. It was so familiar and yet, Tim had no idea why. The teen hero quickly looked over his shoulder before turning back to the Superboy.

"That was you, wasn't it?" He asked, refusing to relax even with the feeling.

The Superboy nodded, slowly gliding to the floor. Ok, it was time to be direct.

"I'm getting out of here. Don't try to stand in my way." Tim warned. It was an empty threat, one which the Superboy must have realised Tim couldn't deliver. Yet the other teen nodded.

"Ok." The Superboy replied, walking forward and grabbing the chain holding Tim's wrists together. There was a metallic noise as the chain broke apart in the meta's hands. Tim looked at the broken chain and then up at the meta before him.

"Can I help?" Superboy asked.

* * *

><p>So just quickly, yes, I did make up Ace the cat. I created the kitten for another story, The Renegade Knight. Titus the dog on the other hand is real. For some reason, Bruce decided that Damian is a dog person (really can't see it but DC seem to be trying to work it so I will let it be for now.) The cats real name is Ashia, but Dick and Tim being the trolls they are, decided to give the kitten a nickname in memory of the Bat dog and it sort of stuck, much to Damian's despire. Just thought I should mention that, because I know people will ask if I don't.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

Argh. I am so sorry this update has taken forever. I honestly forgot about this story. But it is not abandoned (Well, not anymore.) And I don't plan to abandon it any time soon. Still, that is no excuse. I was lazy and got too involved in my other stories. I only hope everyone will accept my apology and this small chapter. I do hope to find some time soon which I can set aside just to finish this story.

* * *

><p>Bouncing on his heels, Bart looked around at his current surroundings. The base of the Justice League was like nothing he had ever seen before in his short life, full of wide open spaces and gentle slopes. It was a speedsters dream, and Bart would have been taking advantage of it, if not for the hawk like gaze of his grandfather. Or at least the man who would genetically be the young speedsters grandfather sometime in the future.<p>

Truthfully, the two hadn't spent much time in each other's company since Bart had arrived, Barry choosing to send the boy off to live with former Flash Jay Garrick instead. Jay and his wife were more suited to taking care of the kid and Barry, with his bachelor lifestyle and fear of commitment, hadn't wanted to hear of his future, only interacting with Bart willingly once, asking the teen not to try and become a hero. Bart, in a fit of teenage rebellion, had broken that rule, taking on the persona of Kid Flash in tribute of his second cousin Wally, a Flash of the future. Admittedly, his first few attempts at playing the hero hadn't turned out so crash hot. A lot of bad media attention and eventual capture by N.O.W.H.E.R.E. had shown him just how badly the solo act could go for someone with little experience. And then he had stumbled on the Teen Titans.

Red Robin, despite being initially hesitant, had offered Bart protecting and help in training his abilities. In fact, he had offered protection to all of the Titans. They all owed him so much. And yet, none of them had really known him.

None of them had known their leader was a Bat. Yes, that probably title meant nothing to most of the team. The Batfamily, although the stuff of legends in the future, was still somewhat unknown at this point in time. But still, Bart should have figured it out. Should have seen the signs. This was history in the making. This was BATMAN in the making.

Bart had never been the greatest history student, but he knew enough to know that no one should mess with a Batbrat. Batman was the ultimate overprotective parent. The story of the Court of Owls and its attempt to turn Nightwing into an assassin was legendary. What happened to the League of Shadows when they went after Robin V was another. No one messed with the Batman's kids and got away with it. Even the Jokers ending was somewhat poetic justice.

And now N.O.W.H.E.R.E. had done the unthinkable. Bart didn't remember how this would go down. He didn't even remember N.O.W.H.E.R.E. from history. But he knew that this would not stand. Batman would be on the war path. And god help anyone who was stupid enough to stand in his way.

But then again, history could be re-written. Just look at Bart's own presence. The first Kid Flash had been Wally West, and yet, here Bart was, taking the name before his second cousin was even on the scene. History had been changed, even if it was in a subtle way for now. Maybe N.O.W.H.E.R.E. had something going for it. Bart couldn't rely on his knowledge of the future because it had already changed. Batman could fail. Red Robin could die. And then what would happen?

Bart tensed, his knuckles turning white under his gloves. History was changing around him and Bart didn't know how to stop it.

* * *

><p>"I need to get out of here." Tim muttered as the final handcuff fell from his wrist, the key joining it on the floor beside Tim's unconscious guards. Superboy was standing next to him, just close enough to be in what Tim considered his personal space but not close enough for the meta to realise his presence was making the hero before him uncomfortable. But Tim was good at hiding his discomfort, especially if he could keep this guy on his side. Although the other teen had sounded sincere in his request to help, Tim was weary. He wouldn't be who he was if he wasn't at least thinking of how this could play to Templars advantage. It could be a trap. Or it could be genuine. Tim didn't have the time or the information to make a decision on that point. Instead, he was going to have to play this one with care.<p>

The Superboy was looking at him, big blue eyes on an honest face. The boy did look like he cared for Tim. He looked like he truly wanted to help. Well, there was no time like the present to put that to the test.

"I need to get my stuff." He mused aloud, watched Superboy closely.

If the Superboy was playing him, then there would be no way the meta would let Tim retrieve his equipment. If he honestly wanted to help, then Tim would be able to get to his weapons.

The other boy thought for a moment before turning his back to Tim.

"This way." He said. Suddenly, the boy was up in the air, shooting down the hall.

Tim swore under his breath as the boy disappeared, leaving him on his own. Just as suddenly as he vanished, the Superboy appeared again, sending Tim a sheepish smile.

"Sorry." He muttered as he ducked behind the young detective, wrapped both his arms around Tim's torso and dragging him into the air. Tim let out a squeak of surprise before the teenage meta sent them both racing down the maze of corridors.

Tim found himself unable to do anything more then hold on for dear life and pray that they wouldn't crash into anything…or anyone.

The stop was just as jarring as the start, leaving Tim's head to spin as the two teenagers stopped beside a door. Putting Tim carefully on the floor, the clone turned and examined the key code, punching in numbers and seemingly unaware of the boy collapsed at his feet.

Tim breathed hard, trying to regain the breath knocked from him by the force of the sudden stop. A strong hand grabbed his arm, pulling Tim to his feet and through the now open door. Tim tensed as the lights flickered but the room was empty, metal safes lining the walls. The Superboy didn't react as Tim pulled his arm out of his grip and turned to study the closest safes. There were no names or dates on the metal boxes, only a series of numbers suggesting some sort of filing system. Tim groaned under his breath. This could take ages.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tim noticed the Superboy staring hard at the safes on the opposite side of the wall. Suddenly the boy raised his fist, bringing it down on the hard metal of the safe. Tim flinched as the boy continued to pummel the metal, making a hole big enough to fit his fist inside the safe. There was another scream of metal moving against metal before the door was flung across the room, Tim ducking out of the way before any stray shrapnel could hit him.

Superboy reached into the newly created hole, grabbing hold of a large metal box and pulling it out, carefully placing it on the floor.

Strong fingers had already broken the latch and ripped the lid of the box off its hinges before Tim was half way across the room, the teen hero picking his way carefully around the sharp pieces of metal on the ground, aware of his bare feet and less then clean clothes.

Superboy looked down at the box before his blue eyes turned to Tim. Tim glanced into the box. There was his uniform, the red tunic wrapped around a fake plastic torso. The metal wings were carefully spread out underneath the outfit, the belts all lying neatly to the side. They had been stripped; the hundreds of weapons and gadgets which was the staple of the Batfamily, neatly stacked at the bottom of the box. And resting on the other side, like a beacon of light, was a single white piece of cardboard.

Tim eyes it warily as he sank to his knees, ignoring Superboy's gaze as he began reassembling his equipment with quick, practiced movements. Weapons were shoved into pockets, belts clipped together and the tunic stripped from the plastic.

Once everything was ready, Tim glanced up at his silent companion.

"I need to get dressed." He stated.

Superboy nodded.

"Ok." The other teenager said.

Tim waited for a moment for the other boy to turn around and give him some privacy to change but it seemed that whatever N.O.W.H.E.R.E had done to this guy, social niceties had not been one of them. The other boy continued to stare, watching Tim like he was some sort of fascinating animal.

Tim considered trying to explain his wishes to the other boy but then decided against it. It would take too much time. Plus, he had already been on the receiving end of this boy's fist once and it was an experience he was not interested in repeating.

Instead he sighed and stripped off his shirt, throwing it over his shoulder before pulling the tunic over his body. Trying to ignore the blue eyes on him, Tim went about the mindless task of transforming himself from Tim Drake into Red Robin, finally slipping the mask over his eyes with a sigh. One last check of the belts strapped to his chest and the wings safely tucked away in the pack on his back and he was ready. And as the alarm suddenly sounded around them, it looked like it was not a moment too soon.

* * *

><p>Again, I am sorry I was so late in updating. I only hope this chapter served as a peace offering.<p>

I admit, I am finding this story difficult to write in regards to the characters. I know what I want them to do, but not how they will react. It is tricky, trying to combined both pre-reboot Kon with post-reboot Superboy. And trying to write this version of Tim, who didn't grow up alongside Kon. It is really diffcult.


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